Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has rejected allegations of a corrupt arrangement involving him and Sunrise Power promoter Leno Adesanya in the long-running Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project dispute.
Malami’s response came after an International Chamber of Commerce arbitration tribunal issued a 616-page final award in Paris on September 16, 2026, rejecting major claims brought by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited against Nigeria.
Sunrise had pursued claims worth hundreds of millions of dollars in connection with the Mambilla project, while a separate arbitration claim involved more than $2.7 billion in compensation and interest.
The tribunal ultimately rejected Sunrise’s claims and ordered the company and its promoter to reimburse Nigeria for a substantial portion of its legal costs, including an award of about $11.82 million.
However, the tribunal’s findings also raised serious concerns about Malami’s handling of a proposed settlement between the Federal Government and Sunrise.
According to reports on the award, the tribunal concluded that a corrupt arrangement existed between Malami and Adesanya and found that the settlement agreement and its subsequent addendum were products of corruption.
The tribunal also found that the agreements were not binding on Nigeria because they lacked the required presidential approval.
Malami has now challenged the characterisation of those findings, stressing that the arbitration was a commercial proceeding rather than a criminal prosecution against him.
In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Mohammed Doka, Malami said the award should not be treated as a criminal conviction.
He also acknowledged the seriousness of the tribunal’s findings and said they should be examined against the complete documentary and evidentiary record rather than addressed through speculation.
The former AGF further sought to place his involvement in the Mambilla dispute within the history of the project, arguing that the controversy surrounding Sunrise began years before he became Attorney-General.
According to his account, Sunrise became involved in the proposed Mambilla project in 2003, while successive administrations and Attorneys-General dealt with the contractual and legal disputes that followed.
Malami said former Attorney-General Michael Aondoakaa had previously reviewed the dispute and recommended an amicable resolution before the Federal Government entered into a General Project Execution Agreement involving Sunrise and Sinohydro in November 2012.
He therefore argued that he inherited an existing dispute involving several administrations, ministries, Attorneys-General and contractual arrangements.
Malami said his involvement became more significant after a directive concerning the resolution of disputes around the Mambilla project was communicated to the Ministry of Justice in 2016.
He explained that the ministry’s responsibility was to advise the Federal Government on its legal exposure and possible options for resolving the dispute.
By 2019, according to Malami, the unresolved Sunrise dispute had become an issue in discussions surrounding financing for the Mambilla project, including negotiations involving China Exim Bank.
He said Sunrise initially demanded $500 million as a full and final settlement during negotiations in London, while Federal Government representatives proposed lower figures before $200 million emerged as a possible settlement amount.
Malami maintained that the government was considering whether a long-running dispute involving potentially larger financial exposure could be resolved through a smaller negotiated settlement.
He also stressed that former President Muhammadu Buhari ultimately did not approve the proposed $200 million payment.
Malami said Buhari indicated in April 2020 that the Federal Government did not have the money to make the payment, while a subsequent request for presidential approval in January 2021 was also rejected.
According to Malami, Buhari wrote “Not approved” on the later request, after which the former AGF instructed government lawyers to resist Sunrise’s attempt to enforce the settlement.
Malami therefore argued that his subsequent conduct demonstrated that he did not simply direct the government to make payment despite the President’s position.
He also categorically rejected the suggestion that his official actions were motivated by a corrupt agreement or personal financial benefit.
The former AGF said the allegation should be tested against the complete evidence, including whether he received money or another financial benefit from Sunrise, Adesanya or any connected entity.
He further referred to claims concerning alleged audio or video recordings involving Adesanya, arguing that the existence, authenticity and non-production of such recordings were matters of evidentiary significance.
The ICC tribunal, however, reported that it had considered evidence including communications between Malami and Adesanya when reaching its findings concerning the alleged corrupt arrangement.
Malami has said he intends to provide a more comprehensive response after studying the complete arbitration award and accompanying records.
The controversy comes as Nigeria begins dealing with the wider implications of the ICC ruling, including a reported EFCC investigation into individuals and transactions mentioned in the tribunal’s findings.
The EFCC has reportedly constituted a team supervised by its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, to examine matters arising from the Mambilla arbitration award.
Despite the allegations surrounding the former AGF’s role, the arbitration itself ended with Nigeria defeating Sunrise’s major claims and avoiding the substantial financial liabilities sought by the company.
The Mambilla project, a proposed 3,960-megawatt hydroelectric development in Taraba State, has remained stalled for years amid contractual, legal and financing disputes.
Malami’s response now adds another layer to the continuing controversy, with the former AGF disputing the tribunal’s characterisation of his conduct while Nigeria moves to examine the broader issues raised by the award.