Magu is being investigated over allegations of abuse of office and mismanagement of recovered assets from May 2015 to May 2020.
A former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, has denied expressing regrets for accepting the appointment to chair the panel investigating Ibrahim Magu, suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Magu is being investigated over allegations of abuse of office and mismanagement of recovered assets from May 2015 to May 2020.
In a memo on Tuesday, Salami accused the lawyers of planting reports in the media that he regrets chairing the panel.
He said, “The reports were a figment of the wild imagination of the reporter, the two lawyers quoted as his sources and the medium that published the story.
“There was no time anything near the unthinkable scenario painted in the false story occurred in any meeting between myself and the lawyers to Magu or any other person, for that matter, since the Judicial Commission of Inquiry began its sittings.
“l have no cause to express any regret over my chairmanship of the commission, not to talk of betraying any form of emotion before anyone about it.
“I see my appointment to serve as the chairman of the commission of Inquiry as an honour and call to service, thus my decision to accept diligently and patriotically discharge this responsibility.
“I have never appointed any of the two lawyers or any other person(s) to speak on my behalf as I can express myself without recourse to the lawyers of the persons we are probing.
“As an eminent jurist, who retired as the President of the Court of Appeal, I have handled much more complex cases than the current one before the commission.”
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Salami said the panel, which he chairs, will continue its investigation of the allegations against Magu with a view to unearthing the truth and ensuring that justice was done.
“The false reports were aimed at causing mischief and tarnishing my hard-earned reputation and integrity.
“I remain resolute and committed to the service of the nation and ready to champion the ideals of justice and fairness,” Salami added.
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