Malabu Oil Deal: Judge Returns Adoke’s Case File To CJ

.Adoke To Spend New Year In EFCC Custody

The bail application of former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke has been rejected by Justice Othman Musa of the Federal  High Court in Abuja.

Naija News Understands that the court also returned the case file  Mr. Adoke, to the Chief Judge of the court, after the expiration of the 14 days allowed for Mr Adoke’s detention.

Justice Musa said this after hearing a bail application brought by Mr. Adoke’s lawyers led by Benson Ignanoi from the chambers of senior Nigerian lawyer, Mike Ozekhome.

The court had allowed an ex-parte application for Mr Adoke’s detention by the anti-graft agency, EFCC, on December 20: a day after Mr Adoke arrived Nigeria on December 19.

An ex-parte application is that sought in the absence of the other party, in this case in the absence of Mr. Adoke’s counsel.

The order is billed to expire on January 2.

The judge decided to return the case file after Mr Igbanoi explained that although they had their application for Mr Adoke’s bail, they needed time to respond to counter applications brought by the EFCC. Mr Adoke had been held for over a month in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, following a request by the EFCC through INTERPOL before he returned to Nigeria on December 19.

Mr Adoke who has been on a self-imposed exile since 2015, has pending criminal charges brought against him by the commission for his alleged role in the scandal that followed the granting of the Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245 to Shell and ENI.

The controversial contract had resulted in the payment of $1.1 billion dollars to accounts controlled by an ex-convict and former petroleum minister, Dan Etete by Shell and ENI

Mr Adoke has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.

The allegations has however resulted in international prosecution of suspects linked to the matter