Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has defended the appointment of Abubakar Bagudu as Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, stating there is no evidence of misappropriation of funds against him in Nigeria.
Bwala made the remarks during a recent appearance on Al Jazeera's Head to Head programme, hosted by Mehdi Hasan.
The interview examined the Tinubu administration's performance on key issues such as corruption, insecurity, and controversial appointments.
Hasan challenged the president's anti-corruption stance by referencing allegations from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).
In 2020, the DOJ described Bagudu as part of a network linked to the late military head of state Sani Abacha, accused of embezzling, misappropriating, defrauding, and extorting billions of dollars from the Nigerian government in the 1990s.
Assets linked to Bagudu and Abacha associates were frozen internationally as part of recovery efforts.In response, Bwala stressed that Bagudu's record in the current Nigerian administration remains untainted by any proven misconduct.
“There is no evidence that Bagudu has misappropriated funds. The decision of the court in the United States does not bind the supreme court of Nigeria,” he said.
“There is no evidence that that minister has misappropriated funds in the government of Nigeria.”
Bwala emphasized that foreign judicial outcomes do not equate to evidence under Nigerian law, and no domestic proceedings have established wrongdoing by the minister.
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