Only the Presidency can decide Magu’s fate, AGF says
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), has said only President Muhammadu Buhari can determine the fate of the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu.
Malami said this on a Channels TV programme titled, ‘Question Time’ on Friday.
The AGF was asked if it was proper for Magu to continue in acting capacity despite being rejected twice by the Senate following a damning report issued against him by the Department of State Services.
Malami said, “I cannot comment on the position of my office but one thing I can tell you clearly is that power is vested in the President constitutionally and it is the President that has the prerogative and the right to make any conclusion that arises from there.”
When probed further if Magu’s integrity challenge would not affect the anti-graft war, Malami said he wouldn’t like to pre-empt the position of the presidency over that.”
The minister admitted that he had investigated Magu and sent a report to the President but maintained that he could not reveal the details of the report.
Malami, however, denied reports that the anti-corruption war was selective.
He said the whistleblower policy of the Federal Government had led to the recovery of stolen funds, adding that efforts were being made to fine-tune the policy including ensuring protection of whistleblowers.
Meanwhile, the Senate has said that the report by the DSS sent to Malami on Magu’s integrity, has vindicated the upper chamber.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, in a statement on Saturday, said the documentary evidence made available to the AGF by the DSS had justified the Senate.
Abdullahi said, “Following several calls made to me today by journalists seeking my comments on the leaked report on Mr. Ibrahim Magu, which was more damning than the one submitted to us, I can only say that myself and my colleagues have been vindicated.
“From that report, which is now public, it is obvious that the DG DSS even tried to give Magu soft landing in the report that was sent to the Senate. The recent report is messier and shows that our decision not to confirm his nomination was right.”
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