RismadarVoice Reporters
September 22, 2026
Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has welcomed Nigeria’s victory in its arbitration dispute with Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited over the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, while rejecting allegations of corruption arising from findings in the proceedings.
Malami, through a statement issued by his media office, said Nigeria’s successful defence against substantial financial claims was an outcome that should be welcomed by Nigerians irrespective of political affiliation.
His response followed the final award of an International Chamber of Commerce arbitration tribunal in Paris, which rejected claims brought by Sunrise against Nigeria in connection with the long-running Mambilla project dispute.
The tribunal found that settlement agreements relied upon by Sunrise were not binding on Nigeria because they lacked the required presidential approval. It also found that the agreements were unenforceable on public-policy grounds after concluding that a corrupt arrangement existed involving Malami and Sunrise promoter Leno Adesanya.
Malami disputes the corruption allegation and maintains that his official actions were not undertaken in exchange for personal financial benefit. His office also stressed that the arbitration proceedings were commercial rather than a criminal prosecution and that the award did not amount to a criminal conviction against him.
His media office urged the public to distinguish between findings reached by an arbitral tribunal while resolving contractual claims and a criminal judgment delivered against an individual by a court.
Malami’s representatives acknowledged that the award contained serious findings concerning the settlement negotiations, presidential approval, communications between Malami and Adesanya and the alleged arrangement between the two men.
They maintained, however, that the issues should be examined against the complete evidentiary and documentary record rather than selected portions of the tribunal’s decision.
The former minister’s office said a more comprehensive response would be issued after a detailed examination of the complete award and related records.
The dispute over the Mambilla project predates Malami’s tenure as Attorney-General, stretching back to Sunrise’s involvement in the proposed hydroelectric development in the early 2000s.
Malami’s office argued that he inherited a longstanding contractual dispute that had passed through successive administrations, government ministries and officials.
It said efforts to resolve competing claims surrounding the project had also preceded his appointment.
Addressing the controversial settlement negotiations, Malami’s office said Sunrise had advanced claims running into billions of dollars and initially proposed a $500 million settlement during negotiations in London in November 2019.
According to his account, Federal Government representatives countered with $100 million before negotiations subsequently produced a proposed settlement figure of $200 million.
Malami’s office said the consideration facing government officials at the time was whether continuing litigation and potentially much greater financial exposure could be resolved through a smaller negotiated settlement.
The proposed payment was, however, not approved by then-President Muhammadu Buhari.
The tribunal’s findings indicate that Buhari rejected the proposed arrangement and that Malami and then-Power Minister Saleh Mamman lacked authority to bind the Federal Government to the settlement without presidential approval.
Malami’s office said that after Buhari rejected the payment, he instructed lawyers representing the Federal Government to resist Sunrise’s attempt to enforce the settlement against Nigeria.
On the tribunal’s corruption finding, Malami’s representatives maintained that the allegation should be tested against the complete evidentiary record and through appropriate legal processes.
The tribunal ultimately rejected Sunrise’s attempt to enforce the disputed settlement against Nigeria and ordered Sunrise and Adesanya to reimburse Nigeria about $11.82 million in legal expenses and $414,125 in arbitration costs.
Malami’s office said the former Attorney-General welcomed the protection of Nigeria’s legal and financial interests and called for public discussion of the case to reflect both the tribunal’s findings and his response to the allegations.
