The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has acquitted and discharged the former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, in the OPL 245 trial. Justice Abubakar Kutigi dismissed the charges of fraud, bribery, and conspiracy filed against Adoke by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Ruling on the “no case” submission made by Adoke, Justice Kutigi stated that the EFCC failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove the charges of fraud, bribery, and money laundering against Adoke, leading to the decision that the defendant had no case to answer.
The judge mentioned that the claim of illegal tax waivers granted to Shell and Eni was not substantiated by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) or any other authority. Regarding the alleged N300 million bribe reportedly received by Adoke from Aliyu Abubakar, the court ruled that the EFCC did not present compelling evidence to support their case. The EFCC admitted earlier that it lacked enough evidence to challenge Adoke’s no case application, despite listing him as the first defendant.
While the EFCC maintained that Rasky Gbinigie needed to answer allegations of forging company documents to remove Mohammed Abacha’s name as a director of Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd, the agency’s case against Adoke did not hold up in court. Adoke, along with several others, including Aliyu Abubakar, Gbinije of Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd, Nigeria Agip Exploration Ltd, Shell Ultra Deep Nigeria Ltd, and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Ltd (SNEPCo), was charged by the EFCC at the FCT high court in Abuja on January 15, 2020.
Adoke was accused of receiving a gratification of N300 million from Abubakar regarding the OPL 245 resolution and conspiring with other defendants to commit offenses related to disobeying legal directives and saving certain entities from tax charges. Adoke vehemently denied all accusations.
Another case against Adoke and Abubakar is pending before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja. Though this particular trial does not involve the OPL 245 transaction, similar charges were brought by the EFCC before Justice Kutigi in the FCT high court, alleging that Adoke accepted a N300 million bribe from the sale of the oil block to Shell and Eni by Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd in 2011. Adoke submitted a no case application in this second trial, awaiting the ruling from Justice Ekwo.
