Malabu Case: EFCC Denies Bribery Allegations, Mulls Appeal

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied allegations of bribery levelled against one of its officials in the Malabu Oil scandal. The agency is also considering the option of appealing the judgement.

The EFCC, however, said it had initiated a review of developments surrounding the Malabu OPL 245 fraud case, including the dismissal of the charges against Bello Adoke and others by the Abuja court.
This information was released to journalists by a source in the EFCC, who did not want his name mentioned because of the ongoing investigation.

The anti-graft agency said it would review the case to explore options for appeal and possible change of counsel due to their dissatisfaction with the handling of the case by Offem Uket.

On the alleged bribing of its official, the EFCC said its intention to review or appeal the case “has no nexus whatsoever to the spew of speculations imputing compromise by parties to the charge, currently making the rounds in some sections of the media.”

After the decision of the Abuja High Court upholding the no-case submission of the defendants in the criminal case, a particular online news outfit spewed the narrative, suggesting that the EFCC accused its prosecutor of compromise by prominent lawyers connected to the case.

In denying the narrative, the agency said “it is not obliged to embrace such narratives as it neither accused any of the parties of any unsavoury conduct nor made any conclusive statements about any investigation on the matter.”

EFCC also dubbed allegations of compromise “effusions of mischief makers” and urged the general public to await its following action.

The clarification by the agency was made by a statement posted on its website and its social media handles.