Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has rejected allegations of a corrupt arrangement involving him and Sunrise Power promoter, Leno Adesanya, in connection with the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
Malami, in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Mohammed Doka, on Tuesday, welcomed Nigeria’s victory in the arbitration while disputing reports concerning findings made about his conduct.
The International Chamber of Commerce tribunal, in its 616-page final award delivered in Paris on September 16, 2026, rejected claims brought by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited against Nigeria and ordered the company and Adesanya to reimburse Nigeria for a substantial portion of its legal costs.
Malami stressed that the proceedings were commercial arbitration and not a criminal trial, arguing that the award should not be presented as a criminal conviction against him.
He, however, acknowledged the seriousness of the reported findings and said they should be assessed against the complete documentary and evidentiary record rather than speculation.
The former AGF said the dispute involving Sunrise and the Mambilla project predated his tenure, noting that the company became involved in the project in 2003 and that successive administrations had dealt with contractual disagreements surrounding it.
Malami said his involvement followed governmental and presidential processes, including a directive communicated by the then Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2016 concerning the resolution of disputes surrounding the project.
He said the Ministry of Justice’s role was primarily to advise the Federal Government on its legal exposure and possible options for resolving the dispute. By 2019, he added, the unresolved dispute had become an impediment to financing discussions for the Mambilla project, including talks involving China Exim Bank.
According to Malami, Sunrise initially demanded $500m as a full and final settlement during negotiations in London in November 2019, while Federal Government representatives countered with $100m before a $200m figure emerged.
He said former President Buhari ultimately rejected the proposed $200m settlement, including a subsequent request for approval in January 2021, where Buhari reportedly wrote, “Not approved.”
Malami said he subsequently instructed Federal Government lawyers to resist Sunrise’s efforts to enforce the settlement after the President declined to approve the payment.
On the tribunal’s reported finding of a corrupt arrangement between him and Adesanya, Malami categorically denied the allegation and said his official actions were not undertaken in exchange for personal financial benefit.
He argued that the allegation should be tested against the complete evidence, including whether he ever received money or another financial benefit from Sunrise, Adesanya or any related entity.
The former AGF also referred to reports that Adesanya claimed to possess audio or video recordings relevant to his allegations but that the recordings were not produced before the tribunal. Malami said the existence, authenticity and contents of any such recordings were matters of evidentiary importance.
Despite the controversy over his role, Nigeria secured a favourable outcome in the arbitration, with the Federal Government saying Sunrise had sought hundreds of millions of dollars and more than $2.7bn in separate disputes connected to the Mambilla project.
The tribunal rejected Sunrise’s claims, including a $400m demand arising from the settlement agreement and an alleged default payment, and ordered Sunrise and Adesanya to reimburse Nigeria for legal costs.
Malami said Nigeria’s victory should be welcomed, while findings concerning the conduct of former public officials should be examined carefully against the evidence. He added that he would issue a more comprehensive response after studying the complete award and accompanying records.
