TAYO ELEGBEDE
The Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigeria Police have foiled the fraudulent attempt by SAMANO agents to fleece $125 million from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the federal government over claims they were whistleblowers on a purportedly stolen 48 million oil barrels from Nigeria since 2015.
The two SAMANO agents- Anthonio Ramirez and Jose Salazar Tinajero who are currently standing trial in Nigerian court were exposed by the DSS and the Nigeria Police as part of a notorious crime syndicate that habitually intimidates, blackmails and defrauds government officials and other high-profile persons according to a statement by Afe Babalola Chambers, Counsel to the NNPC,
SAMANO had alleged in 2015 that it recovered some 48 Million barrels of crude oil that was stolen from Nigeria and shipped to China before the inception of President Buhari’s administration.
For this, SAMANO demanded $125 million from both the NNPC and the Nigeria government as payment claiming that it is a whistleblower on the recovery of the purportedly stolen barrels of oil
However, findings by the Nigerian secret police which shows that there was no stolen oil stored in China noted that “After a thorough investigation by the Police and DSS and confessions by agents of SAMANO, it was discovered that the allegations of conspiracy, forgery, obtaining money by false pretence, blackmail and extortion were well-founded and that some of the fraudulent activities of one Mr Ramirez and Mr Jose Salazar Tinajero (both agents of SAMANO) constituted a threat to the national security of Nigeria’ noted Afe Babalola.
The Police during the investigation discovered that Ramirez, SAMANO’s representative, had earlier been indicted by the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas as the mastermind of a scheme leading to the loss of several millions of dollars through various mail and wire frauds between 2010 and 2013.
The investigation also revealed that Ramirez fled the United States of America and settled in Nigeria where he continued his criminal activities together with Timajero, SAMANO’s Managing Director. There is also a subsisting warrant issued by the United States Government for the arrest of Ramirez whose wife had been convicted for her role in a visa lottery scam.
Afe Babalola noted that the claims by SAMANO about the stolen oil and which is being circulated in Nigerian dailies are replete with falsehoods, offensive, gold-digging and a calculated attempt by the company that is working in concert with its local and international agents to intimidate, blackmail and extort money from the Nigerian government and NNPC.
SAMANO first contacted the federal government in 2015 indicating that it had been approached by an unnamed group in China to buy some stolen 48 million barrels of Nigerian Crude Oil that was shipped to China before the inception of President Buhari’s administration.
SAMANO which initially requested to purchase the stolen crude after its recovery, thereafter declined interest, stating that it was just informing the federal government about the stolen oil to assist the President Buhari-led administration’s fight against corruption.
NNPC which stated that it receives hundreds of such spurious claims daily argued that it was impossible to ship 48 million barrels of crude oil from Nigeria to China without any record or trace of same.
For instance, as of 2015, the daily production of crude oil in Nigeria was below 1.6 million barrels. and 48 million barrels of crude oil would have been the total production capacity of the country for a whole month.
It also noted that China is one of the most regulated economies in the world, and which the export of Crude Oil from Nigeria to China was exclusively undertaken by four known companies approved by the Chinese Government makes it impossible for such huge volume to be transported without the active involvement of the said companies.
Again, storage of such volume of Crude Oil in China since 2015 would be at a very huge cost as it is noteworthy that the Chinese Government had denied at different fora including the United Nations General Assembly that there was NO stolen Nigerian Crude Oil stored in any port or terminal or storage facility in China
Afe Babalola also noted that President Muhammadu Buhari set up the Presidential Committee on Recovery of Stolen Nigerian Crude Oil in response to the claims made by several companies including SAMANO over alleged stolen Nigerian Crude Oil stored in China but which SAMANO had refused, neglected or failed to provide the Committee with any cogent and verifiable evidence in support of its allegations.
Following the failure of SAMANO to produce verifiable evidence in support of its allegations, relevant officials were mandated to visit China to further investigate SAMANO’s claim which was false with fake documentation.
The Chamber noted that the revelation led to a suit with Charge No.: FCT/HC/BU/CR/134/2019 between Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Marco Antonio Ramirez & 4 Others at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Some of the offences in the charge are criminal conspiracy, forgery, extortion and attempt to obtain money by false pretence.
Investigations also revealed that Ramirez and his cohorts are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for other unrelated offences at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in Charge No: FCT/HC/CR/147/2016 and the Federal High Court, Lagos in Charge No: ID/2763/2016.
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