Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has welcomed Nigeria’s victory in the arbitration over the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project while rejecting allegations of a corrupt arrangement involving him and Sunrise Power promoter, Leno Adesanya.
Malami’s position was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Assistant on Media, Mohammed Doka, following the decision of an International Chamber of Commerce arbitration tribunal to reject claims brought against Nigeria by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited.
The 616-page final award, delivered in Paris on September 16, 2026, rejected Sunrise Power’s claims relating to the Mambilla project and ordered the company and Adesanya to reimburse Nigeria for a substantial portion of its legal costs.
However, reports on the award said the tribunal made adverse findings concerning Malami’s handling of a settlement agreement with Sunrise, including an alleged corrupt arrangement involving the former AGF and Adesanya.
Reacting to the findings, Malami said the arbitration was a commercial proceeding between parties to a dispute and should not be interpreted as a criminal trial or conviction.
He said the issues raised in the award were serious and should be considered based on the complete documentary and evidentiary record rather than speculation.
Malami also provided historical context to the dispute, arguing that the controversy surrounding Sunrise Power and the Mambilla project began years before he became Attorney-General of the Federation.
According to him, Sunrise became involved in the proposed project in 2003, while successive administrations and Attorneys-General handled contractual disputes involving the company.
He said former Attorney-General Michael Aondoakaa had reviewed the dispute before his tenure and recommended an amicable resolution, while the Federal Government subsequently entered into a General Project Execution Agreement involving Sunrise and Sinohydro in November 2012.
Malami maintained that he did not create the dispute, introduce Sunrise to the Mambilla project or originate the government’s efforts to resolve the controversy.
He said his involvement began through established government and presidential processes, including a directive communicated by the then Chief of Staff to former President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2016 concerning the resolution of disputes surrounding the project.
The former AGF explained that the Ministry of Justice’s role was primarily to advise the Federal Government on its legal exposure and possible options for resolving the dispute.
Malami said that by 2019, the unresolved dispute with Sunrise had become an impediment to financing discussions 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 in November 2019, while Federal Government representatives countered with $100 million before a $200 million figure emerged.
According to Malami, the government’s consideration was whether a negotiated settlement could resolve the dispute, litigation risks, financing difficulties and delays to the Mambilla project at a substantially lower cost.
He, however, stressed that former President Buhari did not approve the proposed $200 million settlement.Malami said Buhari indicated on April 20, 2020, that the Federal Government did not have $200 million to pay Sunrise, a position he said was communicated to the company two days later.
He added that a subsequent request for presidential approval made in January 2021 was also rejected by Buhari, who wrote, “Not approved.”
