Immediate past Minister of Energy, Dr. Edmund Dau-koru, and former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NN-PC), Mr. Funsho Kupolokun, are among the scores of Nigerian officials interrogated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Comm-ission (EFCC) over a $6 million bribe.
The money was allegedly paid by Wilbros Group Incorporated, an American company, to some officials of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), NNPC and Shell Petroleum to facilitate a gas pipeline contract.
An EFCC official confirmed to THISDAY last night that Daukoru and Kupolokun were invited for questioning but were released. He, however, said the duo may be invited for further questioning if the need arises.
�For now, we are okay with their responses and we are looking into the issues in detail,� the official said. �No case has been established against them yet, but investigations are still on. I cannot comment any further on it.�
Wibros had withdrawn its operations from Nigeria early this year, following the escalation of the crisis in the Niger Delta region.
The company had soon after sold its Nigerian operations through an offshore share purchase agreement to Ascot Offshore Nigeria Limited, a Nigerian energy services company, in which the former minister allegedly has a controlling stake.
Industry sources at the weekend hinted that the former minister and the erstwhile NNPC GMD were recently interrogated by the anti-graft body which asked that they provide information relating to the gas contract since their offices were in charge of transactions that had to do with oil and gas at the time of the incident.
The sources argued that since the minister was the head of the industry, there was nothing wrong about his invitation by the EFCC, especially since Nigerian authorities and their United States counterparts are bent on getting to the root of the matter.
Although the spokesman of the commission, Osita Nwajah, could not be reached for comments, an official who asked not to be quoted confirmed that scores of officials in the Energy Ministry, including the duo of Daukoru and Kupolokun had been quizzed in respect of the scam.
He however declined further comments on the outcome of the ongoing investigation, on the ground that the commission signed a treaty with the American government not to make public the names of those involved in the bribery scandal, until every aspect of the investigation was concluded. The source however assured THISDAY that investigations would be completed soon and the culprits made to face the full wrath of the law.
The Chairman of the EFCC, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, recently confirmed that the commission had commenced arrest and investigation of those linked with the contract saga.
Specifically, Ribadu had stated that the anti-graft body had the full support of the presidency and the National Assembly to investigate the bribe saga and to prosecute past and serving public office holders found guilty of economic crimes, including those in the private sector.
He however did not disclose the Nigerians involved in the sordid deal, but said the commission had officially written to the American government to allow the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) currently handling the investigations to provide EFCC with necessary information and records of the entire transactions.
The investigating authorities, the source further stated, are working in collaboration with the US officials to get to the root of the matter, adding that the report of their findings would be made public on the orders of the Presidency.
Kupolokun had at a recent dinner party to mark his 60th birthday denied any involvement in the contract scam, but offered to give detailed comments on the issue after investigations have been completed by the relevant Nigerian and American government authorities.
The former GMD who also debunked reports that he was relieved of his position over the award of contract to a company in which he had interest had maintained that he was transparent in the manner he ran the business of the corporation during his tenure.
�While I was the Managing Director of NNPC I ran the business of the corporation as transparently as anybody could do but I don�t run my business on the pages of newspapers,� he said.
�It was therefore a big surprise to see reports on the newspapers, shortly after my retirement, claiming that I was retired because I awarded a contract to a company where I have interest. But over four months after my retirement that same contract has not been awarded by NNPC,� Kupolokun had also said.
Although the company�s Nigerian operations were bought over by Ascot, the corporate identity had remained the same as the new owners had then claimed they wanted benefit from the company�s good corporate image. But with the current scandal rocking the company, the new owners now said effective from next year, the company would assume a new corporate identity (Ascot Offshore Nigeria Limited).
Reacting recently to the contract scandal involving the American company, the Executive Vice-President, Mr. Emmanuel Nwachukwu claimed that the Wilbros Nigeria (Ascot) is not owned by any former governor or minister.
�The Wilbros buy-over was facilitated with a $160m loan from Intercontinental Bank Plc, as the lead arranger. Insinuations about the minister and former governors owning the company are mere distractions to smear the image of the new company,� he said.
He however admitted that some state governments were contacted for support and to take stakes in the company to ensure its security as a truly Nigerian company, and urged that the company be given a chance to succeed, rather than keep dragging it into what he described as the ‘old Wilbros scandal’.
Dec242007