A former Minister of Power and Steel, Dr Olu Agunloye, has told an Abuja high court that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was attempting to tarnish his reputation in relation to the Mambilla Power Project.
Mr Agunloye said this while being cross-examined by the counsel for the EFCC, Dr Wahab Shittu, SAN, in the defamation case he filed against the commission before Justice Peter Kekemeke.
The former minister had in his writ of summons in the suit, marked FCT/HC/CV/1199/2024, filed by his counsel,Adeola Adedipe SAN, claimed that EFCC damaged his good name.
He said, “The EFCC is dragging my integrity into murky waters by charging me with corruption and fraud through a post published on its official website.’’
He included other allied online platforms, with the caption, “EFCC arraigns Agunloye over $6billion fraud.’’
He, therefore, sought a declaration of the court that the post was false and defamatory of his person.
Mr Agunloye also sought an order for the EFCC to retract the defamatory publication against him and tender unreserved apologies.
He further sought the payment of compensation of N1billion as general and exemplary damage to him.
Mr Agunloye told the court that the EFCC’s publication put him in the situation of not awarding a built, operate and transfer project at no cost to the Federal Government but awarding a $6billion contract
He stated, “It is a deliberate attempt by the EFCC to push things around, misinform the public and paint me as one reckless minister who was involved in a $6billion contract and was eventually captured. It is an attempt to say that I awarded the contract without approval and to have taken a bribe of N5million 16 years after and damaged the only property I have, which is my name.”
He told the court that he was the minister of power when he wrote a memo to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the Mambilla project, which was a built, operate and transfer basis.
Asked if he obtained the approval of the then president, he said he requested the president to approve the project and the president approved it.
He added that he took a memo to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as directed by the then President Obasanjo.
Mr Agunloye informed the court that the Mambilla project he awarded in 2003 was not the subject of the international arbitration.
He added, “The subject matter of the arbitration instigated by Sunrise (Power and Transmission Company Limited) on the terms of settlement was the subject matter.”
Mr Agunloye told the court that he was aware that the Federal Government was challenging matters arising from the Mambilla contract awarded in 2017 by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and not the one he awarded in 2003.
According to him, the Federal Government cancelled the contract he awarded in 2003, which he said was at a zero cost to the government, six times and rewarded it six times but ran into troubles the sixth time in 2017.
Justice Kekemeke adjourned the matter until October 30 for defence to open the case after Adedipe told the court that they (claimant) were closing theirs.
(NAN)
