The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris delivered a 616‑page final award on 16 September 2026, finding that former Attorney‑General Abubakar Malami and Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited promoter Leno Adesanya had entered into a corrupt settlement over the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project in Taraba State.
The tribunal ruled that the January 2020 settlement agreement and its March 2020 addendum were not binding on the Federal Government because they lacked the required presidential approval. It also held that the agreements were unenforceable, having been forged through corruption and in violation of Nigerian public policy.
Under the original settlement, Nigeria was to pay Sunrise $200 million. The addendum split the payment into two instalments and introduced an additional $200 million default provision, potentially doubling the country’s exposure to $400 million plus interest. The tribunal said the revised terms significantly worsened Nigeria’s position while providing no corresponding benefit to the country.
Evidence presented included WhatsApp exchanges between Malami and Adesanya while Nigeria and Sunrise were opposing parties in arbitration. Adesanya testified that Malami solicited a bribe during settlement discussions and claimed to possess audio and video recordings of the alleged conversation, which were not produced before the tribunal. The tribunal also noted that Malami repeatedly sought former President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval for the settlement, despite Buhari’s refusals in April 2020 and January 2021, and that Malami supplied incorrect information about the financial implications of the addendum.
It was further determined that Malami and former Minister of Power Saleh Mamman lacked the authority to bind the Federal Government to the settlement agreements without presidential approval. Malami did not appear before the tribunal to give evidence, leading the tribunal to accord limited weight to his witness statement.
Consequently, the tribunal rejected Sunrise’s claim that Nigeria had breached its contractual obligations, dismissed its request for an order compelling payment of $400 million plus interest, and ordered Sunrise and Adesanya to reimburse Nigeria $11.82 million in legal fees and $414,125 in arbitration costs.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>