In its resolved commitment to rid the oil sector of fraudsters and reform it, the Muhammadu Buhari administration is set to commence the trial of former Pretroleum Minister,
Diezani Allison-Madueke and others fingered in fraudulent activities that have plundered over $50Billion revenue
Buhari recently announced that the trial of those fingered in fraudulent activities in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC would commence soon.
Diezani Alison-Madueke, was arrested by a combined team
of Interpol and Met Police in London but has since been granted bail.
Already, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, The Department of State Security Service, DSS, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, the Ministry of Justice and other agencies set up to probe the Petroleum Ministry and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, have all concluded reports and findings and forwarded to the Presidency.
A source who pleaded anonymity an online newspaper, Pointblanknews said the President is bent on commencing the trial in earnest because of his belief that a large chunk of the monies stolen by companies and individuals, who operated in the oil sector, would be recovered.
Pointblanknews’ findings from investigators indicated that a sum of $4.5Billion which was supposed to have been deposited into the Federation Account by Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko’s Atlantic Energy have been traced to foreign accounts. The accounts, according to investigators are in LGT Bank, Switzerland with account number 2006431.
Investigators also disclosed that funds were also
found in the name of Atlantic Holding Ltd in LGT Bank with Account number 2005108 and Atlantic Energy DMCC Ltd with account number 2006822 in LGT Bank, Switzerland.
Omokore and Aluko, according to investigators are one of Diezani’s front.
The are alleged to have carried out the fraud in the oil sector under the cover of the former Petroleum Minister.
A source hinted that while investigators were unearthing damning
documents, Omokore, on the advice of Diezani, offered to pay $500million back to the Federations account but a visibly angry President Mohammadu Buhari was said to have rejected the offer, insisting the refund of the full $4.5billion.
Investigators discovered that in 2013, Atlantic Energy lifted about
2million barrels of crude oil with cash value of $240million, but paid $68million only. In 2014, investigators also discovered that Atlantic Energy lifted about 500,000 barrels of crude oil at a cash value of $54 million but paid nothing to the federation account.
Chief among those slated for prosecution in the next two weeks are those indicted in the fraud associated with the petroleum subsidy where Billions were allegedly stolen by marketers and those invovled in series of fraud in the Petroleum sector.
Others slated to face trial for varying degrees of fraud and money
laundering are: Transfigura which is unable to account for $80million, Ontario Oil which defrauded the oil sector of $135million, Aiteo $150million, and Sahara Energy $120million.
Those linked to the companies are: Tonye Cole, Tope Osinubi, Ade Odunsi, Tunde Ayeni, Walter Wagbatsoma, Benny Peters
Some serving and former officials of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, were allegedly linked to several
fraudulent activities carried out in the oil sector and as such will be prosecuted also in two weeks.
Those that are also said to be involved are former NNPC top guns as: former GMD Austen Oniwon, Reginald Stanley, Haruna Momoh and Sam Okeke, a former Group General Manager, New Business Division of the NNPC.
Others officials of the Petroleum sector for trial are: Managing Director of NPDC, Mr. Tony Moemeke, Executive Director, Commercial, PPMC, Mr. Frank Amejo; Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division, Mr. Gbenga Komolafe; Former Managing Director of NPDC, and later NNPC Group Executive
Director, E & P, Mr. Abiye Membere.
The source alleged that the former NNPC officials and Oil Marketers helped or connived with former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Madueke to defraud the nation of over $50Billion.
Transfigura was reportedly unable to account for $80 million, while Aiteo apparently gulped down $150 million. Other oil firms named in the defrauding of the Nigerian people are Ontario, which failed to account for $135 million, and Sahara Energy, accused of skipping the payment of $120 million to the government.
Aiteo, owned by Peters and Ontario who were curiously awareded several oil contracts allegedly gave investigators several forged documents and cooked up records. An investigator also disclosed that the two companies are most directly linked to Mrs. Alison-Madueke.
A Swiss non-governmental organization, the Berne Declaration had revealed how Nigerian oil marketing companies perpetrated widespread subsidy fraud running into several billions of dollars.
Titled “Swiss Traders’ Opaque Deals in Nigeria,” the Berne Declaration also accused the NNPC of colluding with international oil traders to defraud Nigeria.
The Swiss report revealed that Sahara Energy, Rahamaniyya Group, Aiteo Energy Resources Limited, Ontario Oil and Gas Limited, Tridax Energy, Mezcor Limited and MRS Group had established subsidiaries, also called letter-box companies, in Geneva, Switzerland
The Aig-Imoukhuede committee had recommended that all the indicted marketers refund N382 billion to government.
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