Malami Fires Back at EFCC, Says Abacha Loot Allegations ‘Collapsing Under Facts’

 

Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has described as “baseless, illogical and utterly unsustainable” the allegations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that he duplicated the legal process leading to the recovery of the $310 million Abacha loot—later valued at $322.5 million with interest.

Malami, who spoke through a statement issued on Sunday by his media aide, Mohammed Doka, confirmed that he honoured the EFCC’s invitation on November 28, 2025, over alleged abuse of office and money laundering. He said the accusations fell apart the moment they were subjected to factual and procedural scrutiny.

Patriotic Insights News had reported on November 29 that Malami said his engagement with the commission was “successful.”

According to the former AGF, the EFCC’s claim that the recovery process had been concluded by Swiss lawyer, Enrico Monfrini, before he assumed office in 2015 is contradicted by the records.

“The EFCC’s position is that I duplicated a recovery process allegedly completed by a Swiss lawyer, Mr. Enrico Monfrini, before I assumed office. This allegation collapses immediately when subjected to facts and elementary logic,” he said.

Malami noted that no such funds had been lodged into the Federation Account as of 2016, stressing that a recovery cannot be deemed completed until the money enters the national treasury.

He added that Monfrini himself applied in December 2016 to be re-engaged for the same recovery—proof, he said, that the claim of prior completion was untenable.

“It is entirely illogical for a lawyer to apply in December 2016 to be engaged to recover funds he purportedly recovered two years earlier. That singular fact exposes the internal contradiction and absurdity of the EFCC’s narrative,” Malami stated.

He disclosed that Monfrini demanded a $5 million upfront payment and a success fee of between 20 and 40 per cent—terms rejected by the Buhari administration. Instead, he said a Nigerian law firm was engaged at a 5 per cent success fee, saving the nation between ₦76.8 billion and ₦179.2 billion.

“These are concrete, measurable benefits to the Nigerian state,” he said.

Malami emphasised that the various tranches of Abacha loot recovered under him were distinct and transparently deployed:

$322.5 million from Switzerland (2017–2018) – channelled into Conditional Cash Transfers under World Bank supervision;

About $321 million from Jersey (2020) – earmarked for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Abuja–Kano Road and the Second Niger Bridge.

“Any attempt to conflate these distinct recoveries or to portray a lawful, cost-saving recovery process as duplication is misleading,” he added.

The former AGF insisted that he exercised his constitutional mandate on asset recovery strictly in the public interest.

“Any claim suggesting abuse of office or money laundering is not rooted in any reasonable ground for suspicion,” he maintained.

Describing the allegations as a political witch-hunt, Malami thanked his supporters nationwide and expressed confidence in eventual vindication.

“The allegations remain baseless, illogical and entirely devoid of substance. I remain confident that truth, law and reason will ultimately prevail,” he declared.