Nigerian Oil Sector Probe: The Case Against Diezani Allison-Madueke Revealed!

The UK National Crime Agency reportedly arrested a female Nigerian and four others Friday and they were all charged before a Magistrate Court also on the same day. The Court granted them bail but impounded their international passports. Since the reported arrest, the former petroleum minister who served in the past administration of Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke has been speculated to be the suspect.

Reports sourced from Nigeria indicated that her known properties in Nigeria and close aides have been put under watch by various security agencies in the country.
NUJ Europe gathered that Federal Government of Nigeria has concluded arrangements to commence the trial 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.
Unconfirmed reports also had it that some of her associates and aides have already disappeared and may never be available for ‘further investigations by security agencies’.

For now, 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 these to the Presidency.

One of the sources privy to the investigations, but pleaded anonymity informed 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 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 being used as Diezani’s fronts.

They 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 involved 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, Sahara Energy $120million.

Those linked to the companies are: Tonye Cole, Tope Osinubi, Ade Odunsi, Tunde Ayeni, Walter Wagbatsoma, Benny Peters

It was also 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.

Other 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 awarded 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.
Source:  PointBlankNews