The Presidency has said former President Muhammadu Buhari was not forced to testify in a Paris court over $6 billion Mambilla power contract case.
This was revealed by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Saturday.
The statement was following media reports that Mr Buhari was grilled for hours at a Paris court in an arbitration proceeding over the Mambilla dispute.
The Mambilla power fraud has dragged on for over 20 years, and its main anchor, Leno Adesanya, has been a target of anti-graft investigations, including claims that he bribed a former minister at the time to secure the contract, it was learned.
Mr Buhari, it was learned, was grilled for hours on Saturday and would continue his testimony on Sunday before the International Chamber of Commerce Court of Arbitration in Paris in case number 26260/SPN/AB/CPB.
The former president was reluctant to give testimony on the matter, making Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi to visit him at his residence in Daura last week to compel his appearance, according to People Gazette.
Mr Buhari’s administration was accused of withholding about $200 million in payments previously approved for the project, which was to be launched in conjunction with a Chinese consortium.
Court filings showed former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami communicated the decision to truncate the agreement to Mr Adesanya and Mambilla Power on April 22, 2020, the newspaper said.
Mr Adesanya protested the action against his company, and Nigerian authorities sought to arrest him and charge him with bribery and economic sabotage. He denied the allegations and proceeded to arbitration.
Onanuga said, “The attention of the Presidency has been drawn to some fake news on social media about an arbitration proceeding in Paris to which the Nigerian Government is a party.
“The private proceeding, which should not have been reported in the media, is entirely confidential until the international arbitrators decide.
“While respecting the confidentiality of the proceeding, we wish to state categorically that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not forced anyone to testify for or to refrain from testifying against Nigeria.
“All the eminent Nigerians involved in Nigeria’s defence are doing so willingly and out of sheer patriotism and conviction. President Tinubu and the entire country are grateful to them.”
