Baring any last minute change of plans, the Federal Giovernment has
concluded arrangement to commence the trail of former Pretroleum Minister,
Diezani Allison-Madueke and all those fingered in fraudulent activities in
the oil sector which has cost the country over $50Billion, highly placed
sources within the security apparati and the Presidency, have told
Pointblanknews.com.
Diezani Alison-Madueke, has already been arrested by a combined team
of Interpol and Met Police in London, a source in London confirmed to
Pointblanknews.com.
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.
One of the sources privy to the investigations, but pleaded anonymity told
Pointblanknews.com that 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.
It was gathered that 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 to Pointblanknews.com 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, a source privy to the investigation told
Pointblanknews.com.
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, Sahara Energy $120million and Ocean Marines, PPP Fluid Mechanics
Those linked to the companies are: Tonye Cole, Tope Osinubi, Ade Odunsi,
Tunde Ayeni, Idahosa Wells Okunbo, Walter Wagbatsoma, Benny Peters.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that some serving and former officials of the
Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, were linked to several
fraudulent activities carried out in the oil sector and as such will be
prosecuted also in two weeks.
The source gave the names of those 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.
Mr. Imoukhuede had however advised Nigerians not to expect that all the
money would be recovered.
Source: Pointblanknews