Former attorney General of the federation (AGF) under ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Mohammed Adoke, has been caught on camera admitting that the Malabu Oil deal was a presidential scam. A recorded interview between Adoke and a female Italian journalist, obtained by SaharaReporters, revealed that Adoke knew about the shadiness of the OPL 245 deal, describing it as “illegal” and a “presidential scam”, and even asked the female journalist if she wants part of the loot.
“I was aware of the illegal fund diversion that was made,” Adoke admitted when probed by the female journalist. He also indicted a former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete, saying the former minister collaborated with Malabu oil workers, some Italian oil workers to divert some of funds to a foreign account.
Adoke said: “You need to understand that some oil, Malabu oil workers, some Italian oil workers collaborated with Etete and some people here to divert some of funds to a foreign account. The money went to Etete, not only Etete, not only Etete, the money went both to Etete, some Italian oil companies, also involving the agreement and in the betrayal, uhm . . . some . . . also some other officials here in Nigeria, not only to Etete.”
The journalist with RAI Television in Italy, Carlamaria Rumor had sought an interview with Adoke in a bid to get information on the OPL 245 deal and possibly the whereabouts of Dan Etete, a former Minister of Petroleum and arrowhead of the Malabu scam, but Adoke was said to be more interested in a relationship with the journalist than the information she sought.
Excerpt from the interview:
Adoke: “Would you want some of the money that was recovered?” he asked. “Would you want some part of the money recovered to be remitted to you? This should be a personal consideration.”
He then added, after some exchange with the journalist: “If you want the money, if you are not being . . . are you married?”
Carlamaria: “No, I’m not married,” the journalist said.
Adoke: “Okay, can you call me when you are at home? So because right now there are monitoring cameras . . . Can you call me in your privacy, so that we can talk?”
The sale of OPL 245 oil block to Malabu oil and gas and the subsequent retrieval of the oil block to the Federal Government has gone on to be dubbed one of the greatest global frauds of the oil industry, having led to investigations in Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, United States and United Kingdom, plus the trial of executives in major global oil companies.
Adoke had denied knowledge of the deal, stating instead that he merely carried out orders as issued by former president, Jonathan.
The interview was reportedly conducted by Rumor in November of 2015, and has gone to form part of the evidence filed by prosecution in trial of Shell, Eni and former executive, due to open in Milan on Monday, May 14, 2018.
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