N81.4bn Halliburton bribery "used for presidential helicopter"

Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan

Reports by The Nation newspaper has shown that $200m (N81.4billion) fines paid by five companies involved in the $180million Halliburton bribery scam was allegedly blown on the purchase of a

security helicopter for ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

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).

No Nigerian involved in the scandal has been successfully tried by any court in the country.

Citing an EFCC source, the report said “We have made substantial progress in locating the remittance of the fines into an account in the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) but the cash was withdrawn under the guise of security funding.

“One of the five suspects interrogated by our team indicated that the cash was used to buy a customised security helicopter for ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. The suspect said 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. 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 N1billion to N2billion.”

“So, in essence, about N75billion was allegedly spent on ‘questionable and strange’ security needs by the administration of ex-President Jonathan.

“We also discovered that a former Minister of Finance ordered the release of the fines to ONSA for ‘strange’ security purposes, including the customised helicopter.”

The unnamed ex-Minister is to be questioned on the withdrawal of the $200m fines, how it was drawn, whether once or in tranches and the breakdown of what it was used for.

“We will also demand records from ONSA if the cash was actually remitted and the actual cost of the security helicopter,” the source said.

Read more: https://www.naij.com/949590-efcc-arrests-pdp-governors-brother-diezani-election-bribe.html

The source, however, claimed that the EFCC investigators might also look at whether or not the fines were commensurate with the offence committed.

They will also examine why Nigeria, the main victim of the $180million Halliburton  scam, got only $200million fines.

“The U.S. government was paid  about $1.5billion fines by Halliburton,  apart from the jailing of  the facilitator of the bribe, a UK lawyer, Mr. Jeffery Tesler.

In a related development, the EFCC has initiated a process for the seizure of the assets of Mrs Alison-Madueke in the United States of America.

EFCC boss, Ibrahim Magu has just returned from a trip to the US where he was said to have discussed with the authorities in the country on how to seize the properties.