FORMER ATTORNEY-GENERAL, ADOKE, IN STRUGGLE TO REGAIN FREDDOM FROM DUBAI DETENTION
The former Attorney General in a letter by his counsel, Femi Oboro, claimed that the arrest, “was intended for unlawful and malicious purposes, adding that, “on 11th November 2019, our client was arrested in Dubai (UAE) by the Interpol in breach of its Article 3 of its constitution as agent of the political authorities in Nigeria in circumstances described below as unlawful.
“The criminal charges filed in the courts, in Nigeria, against our client by the EFCC, are intended for unlawful and malicious purposes, to wit: political persecution of our client for reasons connected with our client’s former position in public office as a senior figure in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”
Penpushing further reports that, Adoke in the letter described his arrest as an attempt by Nigerian authorities to facilitate international illegality by propelling INTERPOL to violate section 3 of its constitution which prohibits intervention for political and other reasons.
“In our client’s view, the prosecuting authorities in Nigeria have deliberately and maliciously procured the Interpol to engage in the breach of Article 3 of its constitution when it procured the Interpol to execute the Red Notice for the arrest of our client on 11th November 2019 in Dubai (UAE) for political reasons, and for the continuous persecution of our client as a leading opposition figure in Nigeria for political reasons.”
Penpushing recalled that, the former Attorney-General who is on trial for corruption in Nigeria, was on November 11 arrested in Dubai and has been detained in the country, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sought to prosecute him and other suspects.
The former Attorney-General who allegedly played a key role in a 2011 agreement that saw the transfer of OPL 245, a rich oil block, to Shell and Eni, and in return, about $1.1 billion went to Malabu, a shady company then controlled by a former Petroleum Minister, Dan Etete, while virtually nothing went to the Nigerian Government in the shady deal, but has since been on the run on self-exile.
Penpushing also reports that, a large chunk of the money is believed to have gone to officials of Shell and Eni as well as senior officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration, while the oil firms and their officials are being prosecuted in Italy for their roles in the scandal.
The trial was stalled in Nigeria largely by the inability of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to serve papers on the former Attorney-General and other suspects, and following the development, the anti-graft agency then approached the Federal Territory High Court.
The Presiding judge, Justice D. Z Zenchi in April, issued a warrant for Adoke’s arrest following an ex-parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which also made a request to International Police (INTERPOL) for an international warrant of arrest to be issued against Adoke.
Penpushing reports that, the judge, however, invalidated the arrest warrant on October 25 based on a request from Adoke’s lawyers who argued that the order was wrongfully procured, while the judge also asked the anti-graft agency to serve Adoke the court papers by substituted means.
