FG: Nigeria’s Classified Documents Stolen
, to write US •Wins first leg of case on Ajaokuta Plant http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=136703
From Juliana Taiwo in Abuja, 02.26.2009

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The Federal Government yesterday said it was petitioning the United States government over the use of its official documents in the legal tussle over the ownership of the Ajaokuta Steel Company. The government feared the documents were stolen.
It also disclosed that Nigeria has won the first leg of an arbitration arising from the cancellation of the contract between it and an Indian firm, Global Infrastructure Holding Lim-ited, over the steel company.
Addressing State House Correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, and his Information and Communication counterpart, Prof. Dora Akunyili, said the three arbitrators who made up the panel sitting in London on Tuesday quashed the “conservative order” sought by Global Infrastructure over its acquisition of Ajaokuta Steel Company.
The company had sought to be paid damages in addition to the refund of the money it originally paid to acquire the Ajaokuta plant.
Global Infrastructure acquired the multi-billion dollar project constructed by Tiajpromexport of Russia during the sale done by former President Olusegun Obasanjo regime but the President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration in April 2008 reversed the sale.
The gigantic project had attained 98 per cent completion in the early 90s but vandalism of the plants and decay arising from its non-utilisation had made it more of a white elephant project.
Aondoakaa said government frowned on some documents presented to the arbitrators by lawyers representing Global Infrastructure, which he said were classified, stressing that even though Nigeria won the first leg of the case, it was protesting formally to the US government over the matter.
He said the lawyers that used the documents claimed to have obtained them from the US.
He said: “You recall that the Federal Government’s dispute with Global Steel over Ajaokuta had to do with what the government felt that the contract was entered not in conformity with our laws here. We felt that was not proper and this contract was terminated.
“Now, they took us to court, in arbitration before a court in London. In the arbitration, each party is supposed to nominate one person, they nominated theirs and we nominated ours and the two arbitrators chosen were to nominate the third arbitrator. At that point, they now brought an application for conservative measures. What this means is to restrain government from taking any steps like privatisation of Ajaokuta Steel, taking any steps towards reforming the Ajaokuta Steel and also to restore them in the position they were pending the determination of the case. And we resisted this, we canvassed our argument and this matter also brought out other serious issues.
“Before evidence arguments were concluded. They tendered documents from government, which we believe bridged national security. They tendered documents emanating from the highest office in the arbitration and it was shocking for people who are not government officials, who are not resident in Nigeria to come and tender official documents of government.
“We contended that those documents were actually stolen and there are official secret documents of government of Nigeria and that is a criminal offence under our laws for anyone to come into this government and go to the extent of getting official documents in the Presidency to tender in a case. And as God would have it yesterday (Tuesday), each of the arbitrators looked at the totality of our arguments and ruled that the conservative order they sought should be dismissed. They were unanimously dismissed by the three-man panel of arbitrators. The implication of this is that even the arbitrator nominated by them dismissed the measures. That is the happy news we have.
“We have just crossed one portion of the case, we will now go to the main case which we are sure that we will take all steps necessary to ensure that Ajaokuta Steel comes on stream; all legal impediments of Ajaokuta Steel are resolved.
“Mr. President’s agenda has always been that if the steel is not properly developed, you cannot have industries take off. You cannot refurbish your railways, you cannot develop a car in Nigeria without having a steel industry; you cannot even have a hoe to go to farm without a steel industry and this is why we find this Ajaokuta Steel very critical to steel development and we feel that whatever is going to be done must be done in national interest. The judgment is a welcome development.
“We had to brief the press so that the world will know because there was so much rumour that Nigeria has lost the case and it was laughable only for a Minister to run to my office and inform me that the case has been dismissed. It is on this premise we are briefing you.”
Asked if the Federal Government had found out those who stole the documents and what punishment would await them, he replied, “That is the machinery that the government is putting in place and it’s a serious matter and the office of the Attorney-General of the federation is taking it very seriously. We are going to write to the government of the United States because the lawyers that used those documents claimed to have gotten them from unknown persons resident in the United States. We are also going to take it very seriously at diplomatic level because no where in the world will you allow official secrets of government or communications between the Presidency and any minister which is classified become a matter for public consumption.
“Two communications are there, communication that is classified is deemed to be under Official Secret Act and such communications are not ordinarily released except you have applied and obtained it. And in Nigeria, a document emanating from Nigeria must be certified by an official of government where the person obtaining it will state his name, address and rank before it is even admitted in a Nigerian court.
“What surprised us was that a communication between the President and a minister and of the SGF and a minister in relation to an official act became subject of complaint for conservative order in the hands of a claimer who is not an official of government; who is not resident in Nigeria and the lawyers who tendered those documents are resident in America. And the government is already taking appropriate measures to complain officially to the various persons, to the governments involved and to the governments of those people who are resident to have this matter settled once and for all.
“We are going to apply the full wrath of the law against persons found to have abetted this act but in doing so we are going to be thorough and follow the law.”
On the electoral reform, the FEC set up a three-man committee headed by Aondoakaa. Other members are the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, and Permanent Secretary, SGF office, Dr. Akeem Baba Ahmed.
They have also been given authority to co-opt any member of the cabinet into the committee to deliberate on key areas of the report and present the report next Wednesday.
The Attorney-General said in setting up the committee, government was not in anyway foot-dragging.
“On the electoral reform report, we are not foot-dragging. I as the chairman of the committee that was set up sought for two weeks but the President overruled us that our sub-committee must submit the report by next Wednesday and also cancelled all activities of government and that we should sit from day to day over the weekend and make sure the report is ready.”






How were the documents stolen

HAHAHA,
CLASIFIED DOCUNET FOR THIS NIAJA?
MAKE I HEAR WORD

:-x