The law caught up with some top individuals in Nigeria, yesterday when it was disclosed that 7 oil companies and 12 directors would be charged before an Ikeja Lagos judicial court.
The indicted individuals will be facing 7 years and 20 years jail terms and to refund N304bn which was allegedly stolen from the Federation account.
These charged were filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission yesterday against the first set of the 18 suspects comprising six oil companies and 12 individuals indicted in the oil subsidy scam. The indicted firms that will be facing different charges in relation to the scam are: Nasaman Oil Services; Eterna Oil and Gas Plc; Contario Oil & Gas Plc; Nadabo Energy Limited; Pacific Silver Line Limited, Axenergy Limited and Fago Petroleum and Gas Limited.
The other 12 personalities who have been found wanting in the crime are : Mamman Nasir Ali; Christian Taylor; Mahmud Tukur; Ochonogor Alex; Walter Agbasoma; Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi; Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer; Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele; Abubakar Ali Peters; Jude Agube Abalaka, Abdulahi Alao and Oluwaseun Ogunbanbo.
The most shocking revelation is the involvement of Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer whois a staff of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulating Agency, PPPRA , and Mahmud Tukur, the son of the PDP national Chairman.
Justices Habeeb Abiru and Adeniyi Onigbanjo of the Ikeja High Court have been assigned to entertain some of the charges while Justices Samuel Candide-Johnson, Lawal Akapo and Dotun Adefope-Okojie of Lagos High Court have been put in charge of the other charges.
Meanwhile Mahmud Tukur, son of the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; Ochonogor Alex, Abdulahi Alao and Eterna Oil & Gas Ltd will be facing a nine-count charge of alleged conspiracy, forgery, and obtaining N676.9 million under false pretence.
It was alleged by the EFCC that on April 28, 2011 in Lagos, the indicted individuals deceitfully obtained a total sum of N676.9 million from the Federal Government purporting same to be payment made to Eterna Oil under the Petroleum Support Fund.
They are also accused of alleged falsification for having “obtained 33,288,388 litres of Premium Motoring Spirits (PMS) from Mercury Energy Trading AS and imported to Nigeria through Ex-MT Fulmer, Ex-MT Emirates Star and Ex-MT Panther.”
Justice Abiru would be trying the accused on “conspiracy to obtain N1.9 billion under false pretence contrary to Section 8, punishable under Section 107 of Advance Fee Fraud & other Related offences.”
While Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer and Ezekiel Olajide Ejide will be trying the accused on “conspiracy to obtain property by false pretence contrary to Section 8 punishable under Section 1 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences on July 7, 2010, within the jurisdiction of this court.
They were equally accused of the sum of N340, 015,198, being “Excess of the value of the actual product (12,070,706 litres) delivered by MT. Union Brave to Integrated Oil & Gas Ltd on your behalf as against 19,681, 731 litres you falsely claimed to have discharged.”
According to the charge preferred against them: “On July 7, 2010, within the jurisdiction of the court, you conspired to commit an offence to wit: Obtaining the sum of N340, 178, 111.231 from the Federal Government of Nigeria Support Fund, which sum was in excess of the actual value of the product imported into Nigeria.”
Abdullah Alao who is also facing 7 count charge is accused of “fraudulently obtaining N2.5 billion in December 2010 from the Federal Government as subsidy payments for supplying 13,364,284 and 20,014,627 litres of PMS from Ex- MT Gavros and Ex-MT Nippon Princess.”
In a charge No. ID/117C/2012, Integrated Resources Limited, Durosola Omogbemigun, Pinnacle Oil & Gas and Peter Mba have been charged as follows “You Integrated Resources Limited, Durosola Omogbemigun, Pinnacle Oil & Gas and Peter Mba, on or about February 4, 2011 within the jurisdiction of this Court, by false pretence and intention to defraud obtained from the Federal Republic of Nigeria the sum N986.154 million, requested the said money to be subsidy payment payable to the Integrated Resources Limited, by the Federal Government, under the Petroleum Support Fund, in respect of 19.347 million litres of PMS, which you falsely claimed to have purchased from Guinness Petroleum Limited.”
The charge further says, “Omogbemigun, on November 15, 2011 defrauded the Federal Republic of Nigeria of the sum N343.182 million, money meant to be subsidy payable to the Integrated Resources Limited, by the Federal Government, under the Petroleum Support Fund, in the respect of 4.116 million litres of PMS, which he claimed to have purchased from Alkamo International Limited and allegedly imported into Nigeria.
“That Durosola Omogbemigun, on or about November 15, 2011 within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court, by false pretence with intent to defraud the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the sum of N823.305 million, purported the said sum to be subsidy payable to the Integrated Resources Limited, by the Federal Government, under the Petroleum Support Fund, in respect of 9.191 million litres of PMS, which you falsely claimed to have purchased from Alkamo International Limited and alleged imported into Nigeria”
The charges continue in that order. However our correspondent will bring all details relating to the charges soonest.
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