$1.1bn Malabu oil deal: 48 days after, Goodluck Jonathan ignores Reps’ invitation

Forty-eight days after he was invited to testify in the investigations into the controversial sale of Oil Prospecting Licence 245, former President
Goodluck Jonathan has yet to reply the House of Representatives.

Better known as $1.1bn Malabu Oil deal, an ad hoc committee of the House has been investigating the alleged “diversion” of the money, which was the Federal Government’s share of the deal.

The committee is chaired by a member of the All Progressives Congress from Kwara State, Mr. Razak Atunwa.

The panel had invited Jonathan on July 5 after it said evidence in the line of the investigations indicated that the former President had issues to clarify.

But, as of Wednesday (yesterday), checks at the committee showed that Jonathan had not responded to any enquiries by the committee.

Findings revealed that though the committee had written him to either appear or respond to questions by submitting documents, Jonathan had yet to reply the panel.

Atunwa confirmed the development when The PUNCH sought his comments on Wednesday.

He said, “Yes, we invited the former President already. The committee wrote him a letter, but he has not responded. He has not sent in any replies. We are still waiting for him.”

When asked what the committee would do next since Jonathan had not replied after 48 days of the committee forwarding a letter to him, Atunwa replied that a decision would be taken after September 19.

The National Assembly is on annual vacation till September 19.

“When we resume, we will review the situation and decide on the next line of action,” he added.

In making the panel’s decision to invite Jonathan in July, Atunwa had stated that certain information in the public domain had made the need to hear from the former President necessary, before the probe could be considered conclusive.

He explained that hearing from Jonathan was also an indication that “thoroughness, natural justice and fair play” was applied to the investigation.

Atunwa gave the grounds for inviting the former President, “Mr. Jonathan was the President at the material time that (his cabinet) ministers brokered the deal that led to the allegation of $1bn diversion of funds.
“Mr. Jonathan’s name features in the proceedings initiated by the Public Prosecutor of Milan in Italy. A United Kingdom court judgment in relation to an application to return part of the money being restrained, castigated the Jonathan administration as not having acted in the best interest of Nigeria in relation to the ‘deal.’
“The Attorney General of the Federation at the material time, Mohammed Bello-Adoke, has recently instituted proceedings in court wherein he pleads that all his actions were as instructed by former President Goodluck Jonathan.