Court Discharges Adoke, Abubakar, Five Others Over Alleged Malabu Oil Deal
In a significant development, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Jabi has discharged former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke, and six others who were charged with alleged fraudulent conduct in the handling of the controversial Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245, popularly known as the Malabu Oil deal.
The defendants included businessman Aliyu Abubakar, Rasky Gbinigie, Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited, Shell Nigeria Extra Deep Limited, and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited.
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Justice Abubakar Kutigi, in a ruling on Thursday, upheld the no-case submissions made by all the defendants in the 40-count amended charge, marked: FCT/HC/CR/151/2020.
The judge stated that the prosecution failed to provide evidence to prove the essential elements related to the charges. He further criticized the drafting and prosecution of the charge, advising the prosecuting counsel to exercise caution in future filings.
Emphasizing the potential injustice of continuing the case, Justice Kutigi proceeded to discharge all the defendants.
This ruling marks a significant development in the legal proceedings surrounding the Malabu Oil deal, highlighting the importance of due process and the rule of law in such complex cases.
Not yet over for Mohammed Adoke.
There is yet another case against Adoke and Abubakar before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Although there is no mention of the OPL 245 transaction in this particular trial, the same particulars were also charged by EFCC before Kutigi of 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 also filed a no case submission but Ekwos is yet to deliver his ruling.
