BY Bolanle Olabimtan
Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), says the federal government has not incurred any “high-profile” judgment debt since President Muhammadu Buhari came into power.
Speaking on Thursday during the state house briefing in Abuja, Malami said all the major judgment debts the administration is trying to settle were inherited from the previous administration.
“A total of 648 cases were instituted against the president, federal government, and its agencies, before states, federal and ECOWAS courts. And we were expected as a ministry to defend them,” Malami said.
“The cases are at different stages of trial, but one thing I can tell you is that the federal ministry of justice had indeed been diligent in providing the necessary defence in support of the FG.
“Let me tell you, before this government came in place, a lot of judgment debt was incurred including the Paris Club.
“But one thing I can clearly say, ever since the coming of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, not a single major high-profile judgment was entered against the federal government.
“All the judgment debts in contention that we are battling to defend, were inherited judgments against the interest of the federal government incurred by the previous administration.
“So, arising from the diligent defence we have undertaken, we have succeeded within the period of 18 months, in addressing and avoiding liabilities on the part of the federal government that ran into around N55,888,343,888.52.
“In those cases, we diligently and successfully defended the federal government, which translated into naira and kobo avoidance of liabilities.
“Again, we have equally succeeded in defending the federal government to avoid liability in the sum of $507,415,901.19.
“These cases were handled by the state counsel in the office of the AGF, and not a kobo was paid by the government as professional fees for the defence of these cases.”
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