Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has today, defended his decision to snub an invitation by the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel investigating suspended EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu.
Magu had applied to have the Minister invited to testify and tender documents to the panel, having been the chief accuser whose memo to President Muhammadu Buhari, triggered the probe.
Maalami had famously declared that he was willing to testify if called upon, but in a statement issued by his spokesman, Dr. Umar Gwandu, his stance changed as he said the invitation was unconstitutional.
The statement read, “Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has said that his non-appearance at Justice Ayo Salami Panel of Inquiry probing the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, was purely Constitutional and not based on any ulterior motive.”
The statement said inviting the AGF “to serve as a witness in any investigation should be a constitutional matter.”
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It added, “In establishing propriety or otherwise of the presence of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice whose responsibility is to hold constitutional order one must root same within the constitutional provisions.
“The terms and wordings of the invitation extended to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to Justice Ayo Panel of inquiry against Magu run contrary to the Constitutional provisions.
“The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is by the provision of the Constitution and extant laws empowered to serve supervisory role. In the case of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has been discharging the role effectively.”
