October 24, 2007
Micheal Aondoanka's case against EFCC fails at the Supreme Court.
A constitutional case inititiated against the EFCC act at the Supreme Court by Micheal Aondoakaa, the AGF, whilst he was a lawyer to the Benue State government has been dismissed by the apex court citing lack of jurisdiction.
The case which came up today in Abuja was unanimously dismissed by justices of the highest court of Nigeria. Shortly after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested some officials of Benue state for fraud and embezzlement the state attorney general gave Micheal Aondoakaa a brief on behalf of the state government to challenge the EFCC act before the Supreme Court with the aim of declaring the EFCC illegal and unconstitutional.
Micheal Aondoaka was led in the brief by Wole Olanipekun who is also Umar Yar'adua's attorney in the elections petitions tribunal looking into the presidential elections.
Aondoakaa was appointed as the Attorney General of the Federation on the recommendation of the former state governors who have earlier been indicted by the EFCC for fraud, money laundering and corruption. A Lagos -based magazine, The NEWs was first to blow the lid on Micheal Aondoaka's conflict of interest in instituting the lawsuit against the EFCC.
However, the Attorney General denied that the case was listed for hearing by the Supreme Court, today's ruling serves as a big blow to Micheal Aondoakaa, who since assumption of office as Nigeria's Attorney general and Minister of Justice had tried to sabotage various anti-corruption cases against former state executives in high courts around the country.
Saharareporters was first to expose Micheal Aondoakaa's dishonesty as we unearthed a letter secretly written to James Ibori's lawyers in the UK to exonerate Ibori from an asset forfeiture restraint order on October 1 2007 before a Southwark Crown Court in London. Public outcry about his acts of sabotage and collusion with corrupt elements led Umar Yar'adua to grant two anti-fraud detectives from the Metropolitan Police in London permission to visit Nigeria and consolidate their investigations against James Ibori, the former governor of Delta State but actions of the Attorney General shows that the government was just playing coy with James Ibori's investigations, yesterday the Attorney General Micheal Aondoakaa issued a public statement widely circulated in the media saying that "there is no conclusive evidence against James Ibori" with regards to money laundering allegations that have led his worldwide assets to be frozen twice by London courts.
Observers believe that such utterances were aimed at sabotaging the work of Scotland Yard detectives who have been in Nigeria since last week investigating Ibori. Despite public assurances,Micheal Aondoakaa was yet to meet with the British detectives to sign on the Article "3" clause of the Mutual Assistance treaty on corruption between the UK and Nigeria.
A constitutional case inititiated against the EFCC act at the Supreme Court by Micheal Aondoakaa, the AGF, whilst he was a lawyer to the Benue State government has been dismissed by the apex court citing lack of jurisdiction.
The case which came up today in Abuja was unanimously dismissed by justices of the highest court of Nigeria. Shortly after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested some officials of Benue state for fraud and embezzlement the state attorney general gave Micheal Aondoakaa a brief on behalf of the state government to challenge the EFCC act before the Supreme Court with the aim of declaring the EFCC illegal and unconstitutional.
Micheal Aondoaka was led in the brief by Wole Olanipekun who is also Umar Yar'adua's attorney in the elections petitions tribunal looking into the presidential elections.
Aondoakaa was appointed as the Attorney General of the Federation on the recommendation of the former state governors who have earlier been indicted by the EFCC for fraud, money laundering and corruption. A Lagos -based magazine, The NEWs was first to blow the lid on Micheal Aondoaka's conflict of interest in instituting the lawsuit against the EFCC.
However, the Attorney General denied that the case was listed for hearing by the Supreme Court, today's ruling serves as a big blow to Micheal Aondoakaa, who since assumption of office as Nigeria's Attorney general and Minister of Justice had tried to sabotage various anti-corruption cases against former state executives in high courts around the country.
Saharareporters was first to expose Micheal Aondoakaa's dishonesty as we unearthed a letter secretly written to James Ibori's lawyers in the UK to exonerate Ibori from an asset forfeiture restraint order on October 1 2007 before a Southwark Crown Court in London. Public outcry about his acts of sabotage and collusion with corrupt elements led Umar Yar'adua to grant two anti-fraud detectives from the Metropolitan Police in London permission to visit Nigeria and consolidate their investigations against James Ibori, the former governor of Delta State but actions of the Attorney General shows that the government was just playing coy with James Ibori's investigations, yesterday the Attorney General Micheal Aondoakaa issued a public statement widely circulated in the media saying that "there is no conclusive evidence against James Ibori" with regards to money laundering allegations that have led his worldwide assets to be frozen twice by London courts.
Observers believe that such utterances were aimed at sabotaging the work of Scotland Yard detectives who have been in Nigeria since last week investigating Ibori. Despite public assurances,Micheal Aondoakaa was yet to meet with the British detectives to sign on the Article "3" clause of the Mutual Assistance treaty on corruption between the UK and Nigeria.
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