The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission has launched a manhunt for a former Minister of Petroleum
Resources, Dan Etete, who was charged with money laundering and fraud in
Italy and Nigeria.
Sources within the EFCC told us that
the suspect, who was accused of perpetrating a $1.1bn fraud through his
company, Malabu Oil & Gas Limited, had allegedly rendered himself
incommunicado, making it difficult for the EFCC to serve him with court
papers.
A senior detective at the EFCC said, “We
have been trying to contact Etete, but from all indications, he seems
to be on the run. Now that he has been charged in an Italian court, the
Office of the Attorney General of the Federation will coordinate with
the Italian government.
“We have transferred the Malabu fraud
case to the AGF and he will decide on the next line of action. It is
doubtful that he is in Nigeria, but we will continue to look for him.
“Since he is under investigation in the
United Kingdom, Italy and the United States, he will not be able to
hide. All the relevant security agencies will join hands in finding
him.”
It was learnt that Etete’s alleged
accomplice, Abubakar Aliyu, who the Italian authorities said was a front
for former President Goodluck Jonathan, would face extradition hearing
soon.
Aliyu, who is the Chairman of A.A Group,
was declared wanted by Italian authorities. It, however, remains
unclear if Jonathan will also be invited for questioning in Italy.
The Malabu scam, described as one of the
most fraudulent oil deals in the world, involved the payment of $1.1bn
by oil giants, Shell and Eni, to the Federal Government accounts in 2011
for OPL 245, said to hold reserves of about 9.23 billion barrels of
oil.
The OPL 245 was alleged to have been
bought by Etete under questionable circumstances in 1998 when he was the
minister of petroleum. Etete was said to have bought it for a fraction
of its actual value. However, the oil licence was revoked by the
President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
During the administration of Jonathan in
2011, the then AGF, Mohammed Adoke, brokered a deal for the sale of the
same oil bloc, acting as a middleman between Shell and Eni on the one
hand, and Etete’s company, Malabu, on the other hand.
Shell and Eni were said to have paid
about $1.3bn for the OPL 245, which was paid into two escrow accounts
owned by the Federal Government. However, Adoke was alleged to have
transferred over $800m to Etete who, in turn, transferred over $500m to
Aliyu, Jonathan’s alleged front.
Prosecutors in the UK had previously
alleged that $523m of Shell and Eni’s payment went to alleged “fronts
for former President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria” as part of a deal
that was effectively a “smash and grab” on Nigeria.
The UK authorities froze $85m in Etete’s bank account while $170m was frozen in its Switzerland account.
Justice Edis of the Southwark Crown
Court in London had, last year, described the Malabu scam as
questionable, accusing Jonathan of not doing enough to protect the
interest of Nigeria.
According to the judge, evidence from
the US authorities presented to the court “shows payments following
circuitous routes, which totalled $523m, and arrived at Abubakar Aliyu,
aka ‘Mr. Corruption’… Aliyu’s companies are allegedly fronts for
President Goodluck Jonathan.”
Justice Edis said, “The suggestion from
the wiretaps is that ‘Fortunato’ was implicated and I am told that this
was a reference in code (not subtle) to the former President of Nigeria,
Goodluck Jonathan. Aliyu is said to be associated with him and Aliyu
received, in a way which was not transparent, $523m of the money paid
for the OPL 245 licence in August 2011.”
Should Etete and others be found guilty of fraud in Italy, they risk spending 12 years in jail.
Oil giants, Shell and Eni, as well as some executives of the companies, are set to be arraigned in a Milan court.
No comments:
Post a Comment