MambillaGate: IMPI Demands CCT Trial of Atiku Over $500,000 Transfer
Oru Leonard
The Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI), has called on the Federal Government to initiate proceedings before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) against former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over a $500,000 foreign transfer made to his then-wife, Jennifer Douglas, in 2003.
The call followed fresh scrutiny of the long-running dispute over the 3,960-megawatt Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project after the release of the final award of a three-member International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris.
According to IMPI, its review of the 616-page arbitral award showed that $500,000 was transferred on January 30, 2003, from China Castle Investments Limited, an offshore company controlled by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company promoter, Leno Adesanya, to Douglas’ Citibank account in the United States.
The payment was made during the period of Sunrise Power’s pursuit of the Mambilla project and less than four months before a May 22, 2003 letter from then Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, which Sunrise subsequently relied upon in connection with the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract.
The ICC tribunal examined the payment during the arbitration between Sunrise Power and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Adesanya told the tribunal that the transfer was part of a foreign-exchange transaction carried out for Atiku.
However, the tribunal found that the explanation was not supported by documentary evidence establishing the underlying transaction, including records of the alleged naira payment, exchange rate, instructions or other documentation showing its commercial purpose. Neither Atiku nor Douglas provided evidence to the tribunal supporting that explanation, according to reports on the award.
IMPI said the circumstances surrounding the transaction raised what it described as significant concerns about the integrity of the Mambilla procurement process.
In a policy statement signed by its Chairman, Dr Omoniyi Akinsiju, the group argued that the payment’s timing and routing through an offshore company warranted investigation by relevant Nigerian authorities.
“Under Section 7 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, public officers are strictly prohibited from maintaining foreign bank accounts,” Akinsiju said.
He added that if investigations established that the former Vice-President was the ultimate source of the funds or maintained undeclared foreign accounts to service his family abroad while in office, such conduct would raise issues under Nigeria’s constitutional and public-service rules.
IMPI further alleged that preliminary negotiations surrounding the Mambilla project in 2002–2003 bypassed established ministerial channels, citing materials considered during the arbitration, including diplomatic cables describing Adesanya as an “Atiku insider.”
The group said Atiku was not a direct signatory to the procurement process but argued that his position as Vice-President gave him significant influence within the Federal Government at the time.
IMPI maintained that undisclosed payments to persons closely connected to public officials during sensitive procurement periods should be subjected to scrutiny, even where a direct quid-pro-quo arrangement has not been established.
The group therefore called on anti-corruption and regulatory authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the transaction and strengthen safeguards around the negotiation and award of major infrastructure concessions.
It also urged the government to consider proceedings before the CCT over alleged violations of the Code of Conduct regime.
The call comes after Atiku rejected suggestions that the ICC proceedings amounted to a corruption indictment against him. He has maintained that he was not indicted by the tribunal and denied influencing the Mambilla contract.
The ICC arbitration itself concerned claims brought by Sunrise Power against Nigeria. The tribunal rejected Sunrise’s claims and ordered the company and Adesanya to reimburse Nigeria for 75 per cent of its legal fees and expenses.
IMPI said the outcome should prompt further examination of the financial transactions and decision-making processes surrounding the Mambilla project, while stressing the need for stronger institutional safeguards for future high-value infrastructure concessions.
