The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating the $1.3 billion Malabu oil deal says it invited Goodluck Jonathan, former President, to its probe of the Malabu oil deal in the interest of thoroughness, natural justice and fair play.

Razak Atunwa, Chairman of the committee, told the House plenary on Wednesday that the letter would be dispatched in a few days.

In a document that was mailed to journalists on Wednesday, Atunwa enumerated the reasons why it was important for Jonathan to appear before the panel, as follows:

i) Jonathan was the President at the material time the Ministers brokered the deal that led to the allegation of diversion of $1bn.

ii) Jonathan’s name features in the proceedings initiated by the Public Prosecutor of Milan in Italy.

iii) A U.K. Court Judgment in relation to an application to return part of the money being restrained, castigated the Jonathan Administration as not having acted in the best interest of Nigeria in relation to the ‘deal’.

iv) The Attorney-General of the Federation at the material time, Mohammed Bello Adoke, has recently instituted proceedings in court wherein he pleads that all his actions were as instructed by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to Atunwa, these allegations against ex-President Jonathan were too compelling to be ignored, hence the need for him to attend one of the panel’s sittings to officially state his own side of the story.