$500,000 payment to Atiku’s ex-wife raises ‘significant red flags’ in Mambilla dispute – ICC tribunal

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged the All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council to provide evidence from the tribunal that indicted him for corruption in the Mambilla arbitration. Atiku criticized the APC for distorting the tribunal's ruling by attributing a corruption verdict to him when none was delivered. He argued that his role as Vice President under the Obasanjo administration does not make him personally responsible for every action taken by that government, including the Mambilla project.

Atiku stated that the tribunal examined the $500,000 transferred from Leno Adesanya to Jennifer Douglas and expressed concerns about the lack of documentation supporting the explanation that it was a foreign exchange transaction. However, the tribunal did not find that Atiku received a bribe or used his office to secure the Sunrise contract. Atiku emphasized that merely rejecting Adesanya's explanation does not equate to finding a bribe or corruption.

The APC has accused Atiku of allegedly being summoned by the tribunal to testify before it, but Atiku rejected this claim, stating that he was not a party to the arbitration and did not testify before the tribunal. He pointed out that the tribunal's decision to summon a party to an arbitration and order testimony is distinct from the tribunal itself summoning that person.

The APC's attempt to portray Atiku as if he had been adjudged liable in the arbitration is dismissed by Atiku, emphasizing that the proceedings were between Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited, Leno Adesanya, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.