The Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on Thursday said that any Nigerian indicted in the bribery allegation rocking the American oil firm, Wilbros Group, would be prosecuted.
He told the Bloomberg in an interview from Abuja that the US government had requested for proper investigation of the scandal.
�We have evidence that will likely take them to court,� he said, adding that about 10 Nigerians were involved.
Ribadu said the EFCC was investigating one American and that the agency�s investigation would complement those of the U.S. Justice Department and the Security and Exchange Commission.
Jason Steph, 37, a former executive with a unit of Wilbros, pleaded guilty on November 5 in U.S. federal court to conspiring to bribe Nigerian officials. As part of the plea, Steph admitted that in 2003 he and others agreed to make corrupt payments totalling more than $6m.
Meanwhile, the Action Congress has called for a full investigation into the alleged bribery of government officials, the Peoples Democratiic Party and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
In a statement in Abuja on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it was necessary to know the officials of the government, the PDP and the NNPC who benefitted from the $6m in bribes from the company.
The party said the affected people should face the full wrath of the law for dragging Nigeria into international disrepute.
The AC said, ��The decision of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, to travel to the US to investigate the matter is a welcome first step.
�We expect that the minister will leave no stone unturned in getting the full details, including whether or not the funds were given to the PDP to use for the 2003 elections, since the alleged bribe was paid by the Wilbros official that year.�
AC said the case presented another good opportunity for President Umaru Yar�Adua to demonstrate that his commitment to the rule of law, due process and the administration�s anti-corruption stance, was not a ruse.
It expressed shock that the alleged bribery occurred under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who made the fight against corruption a major plank of his government�s policies.
According to the revelation coming from the guilty plea by Steph, the $6m was given to a senior member of the executive branch of the government, the PDP and officials of the NNPC.
The AC added, �Yet, the eagle-eyed anti-corruption agencies, especially the ever-present EFCC, did not discover this – or if they did, pretended as if it did not happen.
�The case has again exposed the double standard of that administration as well as its attack dogs in their so-called fight against corruption.�
Nov92007