Former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has rejected allegations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) concerning the recovery of the $322.5 million Abacha loot, describing them as “baseless, illogical and unsupported by facts.”

Malami, who was summoned by the EFCC on Friday, November 28, was later released and given new dates for further interrogation. The EFCC is investigating alleged duplication in the recovery of the Abacha funds, along with accusations of abuse of office and money laundering.

In a statement on Sunday, Malami said the EFCC’s probe was based on claims that Swiss lawyer Enrico Monfrini had completed the recovery before Malami assumed office in 2015. He argued that the allegation does not align with documented facts.

According to him, the recovery of illicit funds can only be considered complete when the money is lodged into the Federation Account. He noted that by 2016, when the Buhari administration revisited the matter, no such lodgement had occurred.

Malami added that multiple lawyers, including Monfrini, applied in December 2016 to be engaged for the same recovery, which contradicts the notion that the process had already been finalized.

He explained that Monfrini requested a $5 million upfront payment and a 40 percent success fee, later reduced to 20 percent, terms the government rejected in line with its policy of no advance deposits and a maximum fee of 5 percent.

A Nigerian law firm was eventually appointed on a 5 percent success fee, saving the country 15 to 35 percent of the recovered funds, equivalent to tens of billions of naira at current exchange rates.

Malami also clarified that the Abacha recoveries during his tenure came in separate tranches:

$322.5 million repatriated from Switzerland between 2017 and 2018, deployed to Conditional Cash Transfers under the National Social Investment Programme, monitored by the World Bank and civil society groups;

$321 million repatriated from Jersey in 2020, earmarked for major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, Abuja–Kano Road, and the Second Niger Bridge.

He said attempts to conflate the tranches or suggest duplication are inconsistent with the facts.

Malami maintained that his actions as Attorney General were conducted “transparently and in the public interest,” insisting that the allegations against him are without merit.