Court Exonorates Former Minister Adoke Of Corruption Charges

The Federal Capital Territory high Court sitting in Jabi, presided by Justice Abubakar Kutigi, has dismissed the bribery and conspiracy charges filed against the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke by Anti-graft Agency.

The court, on March 28, 2024, maintained that the former attorney general has no case as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, could not provide valid evidence of corruption against him.

Justice Kutigi ruled that the defendant, however, has no case to answer, adding that the commission failed to prove its charges of fraud, bribery and money laundering.

The court, also, discharged and acquitted the former minister on all the charges levelled against by the commission.

Kutigi explained that the allegation of illegal tax waivers granted to Shell and Eni was not corroborated by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) or any authority.

On the alleged N300 million bribe said to have been given to Adoke by Aliyu Abubakar, the Judge also explained that the Anti-graft Agency could not prove its case beyond every reasonable doubt.

According to Leadership, Nigeria has now lost virtually all the OPL 245 cases it filed or joined in Italy, the UK and Nigeria. This is expected to finally bring litigation over the OPL 245 saga to a close.

The EFCC had earlier conceded that it did not have sufficient evidence to oppose the ‘no case’ application by Adoke, who was listed as first defendant — although it insisted that Rasky Gbinigie had a case to answer over the alleged forgery of company documents to remove the name of Mohammed Abacha as a director of Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd.