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Magu’s trial: Malami says no objection appearing before Justice Salami
BY NICHOLAS ABE
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, says he has no objection appearing before Justice Ayo Salami’s led Presidential Panel investigating suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
Malami, who spoke on Wednesday while featuring as a guest on Arise TV, said he has nothing to hide and would not hesitate to give the Salami-led panel the full cooperation if need be.
Magu, who is being investigated by the panel based on Malami’s petition to President Muhammadu Buhari, wrote on Monday, through his lawyer, Wahab Shittu, calling on the panel to summon the AGF for him to cross-examine him on the allegations in his petition.
The AGF had in his petition advised the president to sack Magu, following series of allegation bordering on financial and administrative malfeasance.
He said: “So, if indeed the Ayo Salami panel invites Abubakar Malami as a person or the AGF in the person of Abubakar Malami for any testimony, for any clarification, for examination or cross-examination for that matter, Abubakar Malami will wholeheartedly, gladly, within the spirit and context of the rule of law, be there to testify, be there to be cross-examined, be there to be examined within the context of the rule of law.
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“Our position, as a government, is to be submissive to the rule of law and the rule of law component of it requires that when we are called upon to clarify issues, when we are called upon to be examined, when we are called upon to be cross-examined, Abubakar Malami will be there and will gladly cooperate with the inquiry institution and that indeed was an attribute of the government that translated to the victory we are seeing today arising from P&ID.
“Abubakar Malami has along the line, within the chain of the arbitral process, submitted to uncountable invitations, responded to uncountable requests for clarification of issues and indeed executed uncountable witness statements for the purpose of putting the record straight and the case of Salami will certainly not be an exception.”
Shittu, in the letter, cited Section 36(a), (b), (c) and (d) of the Nigerian Constitution, added, “Based on the foregoing, we humbly request that the Honourable Attorney General, who is the main accuser in these proceedings, be graciously invited to give evidence in connection with the subject matter of this inquiry with specific reference to our client in the interest of fair hearing.
“We believe this request ought to be resolved before our client is called upon to enter his defence in these proceedings.”