Malami affirmed that when the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) made a request for the Paris Club refund, one of the components was the settlement of the consultants who were engaged by the forum.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami on Thursday said that state governors have no justification to challenge the $418 million deductions from the Paris Club refund paid to consultants they hired.
Malami, who is also Minister of Justice, stated this during the weekly ministerial media briefing organised by the presidential communications team in Abuja.
According to him, the noise making arising from the Governors Forum was not only unjustified but “a clear case of absence of defence.”
The minister reminded the governors that they created the liability whose payment they had also indemnified.
Malami affirmed that when the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) made a request for the Paris Club refund, one of the components was the settlement of the consultants who were engaged by the forum.
Malami, however, said the governors later decided to stop payment while asking for an out-of-court settlement.
He said this resulted in a request to the president to make the payment, a request he said, was then passed on to the Office of the AGF for legal opinion.
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The minister said that after being subjected to necessary checks, it was found that there was no element of fraud involved.
He disclosed that the indemnity of the governors was also sought and received.
“I think you need to be informed first, as to the antecedents, prevailing circumstances and how the liability arose.
“But, one thing I’m happy to state, which I want to reiterate having stated same earlier, is the fact that the Office of the Attorney General and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari had not indeed incurred any major judgment debt for the period of seven years it has been on.
“Now, coming to the antecedent background of the Paris Club; the liability or judgement debts related to Paris Club was indeed a liability created by the governor’s forum in their own right.
“The Governors’ forum comprising of all the governors sat down and commonly agreed on the engagement of consultants to provide certain services for them relating to the recovery of the Paris Club,” Malami said.
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