The Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured a court order mandating the
return of OPL 245 to the Nigerian government.
The order
was granted by Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court on Thursday
morning, pending “the conclusion of investigations…” by the EFCC.
OPL 245,
considered the largest oil block in Africa with over 9 billion barrels of
crude, has been a subject of investigations in at least five different
countries.
Two oil
giants, Shell and Eni, in 2011 paid about $1.1 billion into a Nigerian
government account in London to take control of the oil block.
Over 70 per
cent of the money was subsequently transferred in controversial circumstances
into Malabu accounts controlled by a former petroleum minister, Dan Etete. Mr.
Etete transferred over half of what he got into accounts of phoney companies
controlled by Aliyu Abubakar, a man wanted for fraud in Italy and whom the EFCC
already charged for fraud.
Mr. Abubakar
is believed to be a front for several top officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration
including Mr. Jonathan and his attorney general, Bello Adoke.
Both men
have denied any wrongdoings.
The EFCC had
in December last year filed fraud and money laundering charges against Messrs.
Etete, Abubakar, and Adoke.
A week
after, Italian prosecutors also indicated their decision to file charges
against Shell and Eni, their officials, and Mr. Etete for their roles in the
scandal.
More details
later…
Source:
Premium Times
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