Follow Us on Google
By John Ogunsemore
Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede said he has no axe to grind with former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN.
Malami, 58, is being prosecuted by the EFCC alongside his wife and son on 16 counts of money laundering and abuse of office to the tune of N8.7 billion.
Olukoyede disclosed that investigation into Malami predated his administration, emphasising that he had no personal beef with the ex-AGF.
The EFCC boss spoke in an exclusive interview on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’.
Addressing criticism surrounding Malami’s prosecution, he said, “Let me tell you about that particular former attorney-general that you are talking about — there is nothing personal in this matter. If Nigeria is to move forward, all of us must agree that this fight must be fought without being partisan.”
Other News
He added, “The investigation of this man predated me in office, and a lot of people don’t know that. Yes, I edited the investigation file. What I did was to ensure that the investigation was carried out in a very professional and thorough manner.”
Olukoyede revealed that Malami had been under investigation for two and half years.
He stated, “He has been under investigation for almost two and a half years. The file was opened not even under me. I inherited it,” he said.
The EFCC boss said he only moved to prosecute the ex-AGF once he was convinced the commission had been a watertight case.
“Not until I was convinced that we had a watertight case… so there’s nothing personal about it,” he stated.
The EFCC boss faulted claims of political witch-hunt and bias levelled against the commission on the Malami case, describing it as unwarranted and unfounded.
