Report alleges Jonathan, others may have got $400m from $1.3bn Malabu scam

A report by an American news website, Buzzfeed, has alleged that it was possible former President Goodluck Jonathan, a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), and some lawmakers got about $400million from the $1.3billion Malabu scam.

Allegations of corruption involving the Malabu oil deal money paid by oil giants Shell and Eni, into a Federal Government escrow account, has continued to dominate newspaper headlines tirelessly.

The recent report was sequel to a revelation by a former Russian Ambassador and Intelligence Officer, Ednan Agaev, when he spoke with officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States as well as Italian prosecutors.

The scam which has continued to raise dust is being jointly investigated by detectives in the US, the Netherlands and Italy.

Agaev’s claims is said to have been handed over to an Italian court where Adoke and a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dan Etete are being charged as evidence.

The court documents revealed that Agaev worked as a middleman between the oil companies and Etete in the deal and has informed the FBI and Italian prosecutors that Etete had told him he would want to pay $400million bribes to senior Nigerian officials and parliamentarians.

“Agaev was asked about payment of his commission. Agaev stated that he went to Etete and told him to pay him $65,000,000.

Agaev stated that Etete said, ‘I can’t pay you, I have to pay Adoke [Mohammed Bello Adoke, then Nigeria’s attorney general] $400m and all the other people in the Senate and the National assembly.’

Agaev stated that he would think President Goodluck Jonathan got at least $200m of this money,” the report read in part.

Read also: SERAP asks Buhari to refer high-profile corruption cases to ICC

In another interview with Italian authorities, Agaev was said to have repeated his allegations.

“I said that if it’s true, that he paid, he had to pay $400m, I assume that at least $200million went to Goodluck,” he reiterated.

He further said, “I heard from Chief (Etete), he claims that he had to pay $400m, so, if this is true, if he paid $400 million, then most probably the President, as the biggest boss, took at least the half of it.”

Etete is alleged to also own Malabu Oil and Gas Limited.

All the accused in the alleged scam have denied the allegations.

Former President Jonathan earlier this year said in response to the allegation in a statement that “we make bold to point out that the former President never sent Abubakar Aliyu or anybody else, as the innuendoes in the false report suggest, to ENI, the IOCs or any indigenous operator to seek favour or collect any gratification on his behalf.”

Meanwhile, Jonathan has denied the alleged claim by the Russian that it was possible he collected $200 million from the oil block deal.

A statement signed by Jonathan’s media adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, said the former president was not accused, indicted or charged for corruptly collecting any monies as kickbacks or bribes from ENI by the Italian authorities or any other law enforcement body in the world.

He explained that the negotiations and transactions for the oil block deal predated his administration, which began on May 6, 2010, and ended on May 29, 2015.

“It may interest those promoting this false narrative to know that all the documents relating to the transactions, issues and decisions of the Federal Government, on the Malabo issue, during the Jonathan administration, are in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,” he said.
 

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