Malabu Oil Deal: Court Discharges Adoke, Abubakar, 5 Others, Gives Reason
- A former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke, has been discharged by a High Court in the FCT in the case involving alleged fraud over the Malabu Oil deal
- The court on Thursday, March 28, also discharged five other defendants named in the said case by the plaintiff
- According to the presiding judge, Justice Abubakar Kutigi, the charged well drafted and prosecuted
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Abuja, FCT - A High Court in Abuja has discharged Mohammed Adoke, a former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), and six others charged with fraud in the Malabu Oil deal.
Other defendants who were also discharged by the court on Thursday, March 28 are 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.
During a court sitting on Thursday, the presiding judge, Justice Abubakar Kutigi, upheld the no-case submissions made by all the defendants in the 40-count amended charge.
Source: UGC
Justice Kutigi held that the prosecution failed to lead evidence in prove of the essential elements in relation to the offences charged, The Nation reports.
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Technical error of the prosecuting lawyer
He went on to state that the charge was not well drafted and prosecuted, and instructed the prosecuting counsel to avoid such next time.
Justice Kutigi held that it will be injustice to the defendants if the case is allowed to remain in court and as such, he proceeded to discharge them.
Read more on Adoke:
Ex-minister Adoke returns to Nigeria, arrested by EFCC
Mohammed Adoke: Ex-AGF removed from Interpol's wanted list
Adoke tests positive for COVID-19, pleads with Nigerians to be cautious
In an earlier report, Adoke, on Tuesday, January 5, revealed that he had contracted the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
The former minister who was facing trials over allegations bordering on financial corruption, also disclosed that he has travelled to Dubai for treatment.
Adoke said the test result came out just two days to his return trip to Nigeria, adding that at the moment, he is completely asymptomatic.
His words:
“Two days to my return trip to Nigeria, I went for the mandatory COVID-19 test. A day to the trip, I got the result. It was positive, even though I did not have any symptoms. Immediately, I embarked on self-isolation as required by the protocol."
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Source: Legit.ng
