Wednesday, 31 August 2016

$200m (N81.4billion) Halliburton cash ‘blown on presidential helicopter’ - The Nation

According to the news outlet, EFCC detectives probing the whereabouts of the $200m (N81.4billion) fines paid by five companies involved in the $180million Halliburton bribery scam have discovered that the cash was allegedly used to buy a security helicopter for GEJ.
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A former Minister of Finance is under investigation for releasing the cash to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), which was then headed by the late Gen. Owoye Azazi.
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The breakdown of the remittances by the five companies is as follows: Julius Berger ($35m); Siemens (Euros 30m); Snamprogetti ($30m); Halliburton Energy Services ($32,500,000) and Japan Gasoline Corporation ($26, 500,000).
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An EFCC source, was quoted as saying: “We have made substantial progress in locating the remittance of the fines into an account in CBN, but the cash was withdrawn under the guise of security funding.
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One of the five suspects interrogated indicated that the cash was used to buy a customised security helicopter for GEJ. The helicopter is still in the presidential fleet. But it was not clear if the N81.4billion was spent on the helicopter or part of it. .
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We are trying to find out the cost of the helicopter from the manufacturer. Preliminary findings confirmed that the helicopter could not have cost up to N1bn to N2bn. About $12m(N3.960bn) was collected as legal fees by five lawyers.
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The lawyers are a former President of NBA, J. B. Daudu (SAN); Damian D. Dodo(SAN); Godwin Obla(SAN); E.C. Ukala(SAN); and Roland Ewubare. So, in essence, about N75bn was allegedly spent on ‘questionable and strange’ security needs.” .
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The source also said the EFCC investigators might also look at whether or not the fines were commensurate with the offence committed. They will examine why Nigeria, the main victim, got only $200m fines.
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The U.S. government was paid about $1.5bn fines by Halliburton, apart from the jailing of the facilitator of the bribe, a UK lawyer, Jeffery Tesler. No Nigerian involved in the scandal has been successfully tried by any court in Nigeria....

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