180 Million USD Bribery Scam: Nigeria To Net 255 Million US Dollars

Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, Attoney General of the Federation.

Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, Attoney General of the Federation.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke on Wednesday in Abuja explained Federal Government’s adoption of plea bargain in high profile criminal cases involving foreign personalities and multinational corporations.

Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, Attoney General of the Federation.

He blamed the nation’s weak penal code system which would have earned the country ridiculous sums on the conviction of persons and organizations who had infracted on the nation’s laws.

Speaking while responding to questions at a Ministerial Press briefing where the Justice Minister presented his score card, Mr. Adoke explained that Halliburton which was responsible for the bribing of top Nigeria Government officials for an LNG Bonny contract coughed out the sum of 35 million US Dollars to keep former United States Vice President Cheney away from prosecution in Nigeria.

He further explained that though the sum of 20 million US Dollars where shared amongst Nigeria Government officials out of the 180 million US Dollars released by Halliburton, the balance of the bribe money is due to be returned to the country while the Japanese Gas Company, Saipem and Technique, other companies implicated in the bribery scam, have so far paid out 90 million US Dollars to the Federal Government of Nigeria. He stated that at the end of the ongoing negotiations, that the nation will get about 255 million US Dollars.

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Mr. Adoke also stated that negotiations had ended with another company, Panalpina, which aided in distributing bribery monies on behalf of Shell BP to secure lucrative contracts in the oil sector. He said that Shell BP paid out 10 million US Dollars to the Federal Government for using Panalpina to infract on Nigeria’s laws.

The Justice Minister explained that machineries have been set in motion towards the revamping relevant Nigerian laws to meet with present international realities.

By Nnamdi Felix / Abuja

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