THE Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mike Aondoakaa and some officials of the Ministry of Justice have arrived London to defend the trio of the former Governors of Delta State, Chief James Ibori; his Lagos State counterpart, Bola Tinubu and the former governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, over the probe of the shares of V-Mobile.
The London Metropolitan Police is probing the trio over the proceeds of V-mobile shares put at $1.6 billion shares.
There was controversy last week over the clearance given to the trio by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but the AGF had insisted that the commission had cleared the former governors in the shares scam.
Ibori and Tinubu have also been in the media, defending themselves over the shares sale.
Ibori had insisted that EFCC actually cleared him in 2008, while Tinubu has also stated his innocence.
Last week, the AGF declared that there was no case against Ibori as the EFCC had given him and the two other governors a clean bill of health.
EFCC spokesman, Mr. Femi Babafemi, who issued a statement to clarify the commission’s statement, said that the former governors were cleared in the case relating to the African Development Finance Inc. (AFDI), which was initially linked with the shares deal.
Sources in Abuja confirmed that the AGF and some ministry officials have secured permission to go to London and present further details on the clearance of the three former governors to the Metropolitan Police.
The AGF is said to have facts on why the Metropolitan Police should take a cue from the EFCC and clear the affected governors.
It was gathered that some factors in the presidency believe that Ibori, Attah and Tinubu have a “huge political value” which cannot just be toyed against.
It was gathered that the AGF has secured relevant documents relating to the case in Nigeria and which he believes would give the London Police enough insight into the whole case.
A source said that those in the inner workings of the 2011 movement for President Umaru Yar’Adua are not comfortable with the seeming controversy on the alleged indictment.
Said a source: “The three former governors are grassroots politicians who cannot just be toyed with and that is why the AGF has to go extra mile to convince everyone that they have no case to answer. He has met some UK officials and we believe they have no cause to doubt the details presented by the Nigerian officials on that case.”
By: Taiwo Adisa.
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