EFCC Names First 20 Suspects To Be Arraigned Over $6.8 Billion Fuel Subsidy Fraud

By Wilson Uwujaren-EFCC Media & Publicity Unit

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has concluded arrangements to prosecute the first batch 20 suspects implicated in the oil subsidy fraud. The suspects, comprising six oil companies and 11 individuals, will be docked in Lagos courts.
The companies involved are: Nasaman Oil Services; Eternal Oil and Gas Plc; Ontario Oil & Gas Plc; Nadabo Energy Limited; Pacific Silver Line Limited, Axenergy Limited and Fago Petroleum and Gas Limited.

The 11 individuals involved in the scam are: Mamman Nasir Ali; Christian Taylor; Mahmud Tukur; Ochonogor Alex; Walter Wagbatsoma; Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi; Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer; Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele; Abubakar Ali Peters; Jude Agube Abalaka,  Abdulahi Alao and Oluwaseun Ogunbanbo.
Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele is director of the accounting firm, Akintola Williams Deloitte while Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer is a staff of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulating Agency, PPPRA.

Nasaman Oil Services; Mamman Nasir and Christian Taylor are to face charges bordering on obtaining N4, 460, 130, 797. 94 (Four Billion, Four Hundred and Sixty Million, One Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ninety Seven Naira, Ninety Four Kobo) from the Federal Government of Nigeria under false pretence. The sum is alleged to have been fraudulently obtained as subsidy payments from the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported importation of 30.5million litres of Premium Motor Spirit from SEATAC Petroleum Limited of British Virgin Islands.
In the same vein, the anti-graft agency will equally prosecute Abdulahi Alao and Axenergy Limited for allegedly obtaining the sum of N2, 640, 141, 707.75 (Two Billion, Six Hundred and Forty Million; One Hundred and Forty One Thousand; Seven Hundred and Seven Naira, Seventy Five Kobo) being payments received from the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported importation of 33.3 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.

Others include Mahmud Tukur,  Ochonogor Alex; Abdulahi Alao and Eternal Oil And Gas Plc who will be docked for fraudulently obtaining the sum of N1, 899, 238, 946. 02 (One Billion, Eight Hundred and Ninety Nine Million, Two Hundred and Thirty Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred and Forty Six Naira, Two Kobo) from the Petroleum support Fund for a purported importation of 80.3million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.
Also, Nadabo Energy Limited, Abubakar Ali Peters, Jude Agube Abalaka and Pacific Silver Line Limited are to be prosecuted for allegedly obtaining the sum of N1, 464, 961, 978.24 (One Billion, Four Hundred and Sixty Four Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Seventy Eight Naira, Twenty- Four Kobo ), being payments fraudulently received from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 19.4million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.
Walter Wagbatsoma; Adaoha Ugo -Ngadi; Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer; Ezekiel   Olaleye Ejidele and Ontario Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited will be arraigned for fraudulently obtaining the sum of N1, 959, 377, 542, .63 (One Billion, Nine Hundred and Fifty Nine Million, Three Hundred and Seventy Seven Thousand, Five Hundred and Forty Two Naira, Sixty Three Kobo) from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 39.2 litres of Premium Motor Spirit.
Lastly, Fago Petroleum and Gas Limited and Oluwaseun Ogunbanbo are to be docked for fraudulently obtaining the sum of N979,653,110.20 ( Nine Hundred and Seventy Nine Million, Six Hundred and Fifty Three Thousand, One Hundred and Ten Thousand Naira, Twenty Eight Kobo), from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 33, 627, 84 litres of Premium Motor Spirit.
The 20 suspects are among the over 140 individuals and organisations involved in the on- going investigations into the subsidy payments by the EFCC. More suspects will be arraigned periodically as the investigation progresses.
This investigation is massive and extensive; and the Commission wishes to reassure Nigerians that every effort will be made to bring all those who defrauded the country in the guise of subsidy for imported fuel to book.

PHOTONEWS: Faces Of Alleged Fuel Subsidy Fund Thieves

Posted: July 25, 2012 - 15:22

OLUWASEUN OGUNBAMBO

HABILA THECK

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned some of the suspects in the $6.8 billion fuel subsidy fraud at a high court in Lagos.
 These are some the faces of the suspected thieves popularly known as the "Bugatti Boys".

Court Orders Forfeiture Of Ibori’s $15m Bribe Money-The PUNCH, Nigeria

Posted: July 25, 2012 - 03:42

James Ibori and supporters

By

A  Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday granted an interim order forfeiting to the Federal Government $15m said to have been received by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from an undisclosed agent of former Delta State Governor James Ibori in 2007 as a bribe to compromise its investigation.
The money has been kept in the strong room of the Central Bank of Nigeria as an unclaimed property since August 2007.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole upheld the FG’s claim that the said sum, “if left untouched and unspent in the state it was kept in the strong room since April 2007, may eventually be destroyed, defaced, mutilated and become useless.”
Kolawole gave the order after listening to an exparte motion brought by the applicants – the Federal Government, the Attorney General of the Federation and the EFCC.
He fixed September 17, 2012, to hear the motion on notice for the final forfeiture of the $15m.
He said the money would be finally forfeited to the FG as proceed of fraud if nobody laid claim to the money.
While granting the application, Kolawole noted that “Ibori had denied the onwership of the money in question during the Kaduna case.”
He therefore granted the EFCC’s request for “an interim order forfeiting the $15m being an unclaimed property in possession of the CBN to the Federal Government, pending the publication and hearing of the motion on notice for the final forfeiture order of the said property.”
Kolawole also ordered that the interim order should be published in national daily “for anyone who is interested in the property to appear before the court to show cause within 14 days why the final order of forfeiture should not be made in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
He added, “The commission on 26th April, 2007 deposited the said cash of USD15, 000, 000 into the strong room of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“James Ibori has since denied giving the said cash of USD15, 000, 000 to the commission or any of its officers.”
The CBN was listed as the respondent in the motion, which was filed on behalf of the applicants by EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN.
In the motion, the EFCC applied for “an order of forfeiture of an unclaimed property without conviction pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud And Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14, 2006.”
The EFCC, in the motion filed by Jacobs and dated July 5, 2012, explained the grounds upon which it asked the court to forfeit the money to the Federal Government.
 

Former Delta ALGON Boss Shuns EFCC; On The Run Over Looting of Council Treasury

Posted: July 23, 2012 - 13:19

Askia Ogeah

Mr. Askia Ogeah's reportedly owns Whizzy Lounge in Accra, Ghana

By SaharaReporters, New York

Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and a former local government boss in Delta State have offered conflicting accounts about one of the most high-profile cases of corruption in Delta.
Sources within the EFCC and Delta State told SaharaReporters that Askia Ogieh, a past chairman of the Delta State chapter of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and former chairman of Isoko South Council, has gone underground to evade an invitation by the EFCC, Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency.
But Mr. Ogieh insists that he is neither on the run nor afraid of any prosecution.
Several sources in Delta State and within the EFCC told SaharaReporters that the EFCC is seeking to interrogate Mr. Ogieh on allegations that he looted council funds. In addition, Mr. Ogieh is being accused of abandoning projects as well as paying for several contracts that were never executed during his tenure in office from 2008 to 2011.
An EFCC source, while confirming that the agency was looking for Mr. Ogieh, also revealed that the agency quizzed a senior staff of the council last week at the EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja. He stated that the official was released on self-recognition and instructed to return on July 24, 2012 with specified documents relating to contracts awarded by the fleeing former ALGON boss.
“The EFCC is in possession of some payment vouchers made by Mr. Askia Ogieh for the purported supply of tractors and other equipment which were never supplied,” said a source at the EFCC. He added that the agency had also received other documents that appear to establish misappropriation of funds by the former council boss.
Our correspondent learnt that Mr. Ogieh, who once served as national deputy president of ALGON, was aware of the invitation by the commission. “He kept dribbling the commission with failed promises to turn up at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja,” said one source.
A source in the local government council, who said he had been briefed by the senior staff quizzed last week by the commission, told SaharaReporters that the embattled former council boss was investigated and arrested numerous times during his tenure from 2008 to 2011. Even so, several sources disclosed that he never once faced prosecution because of his willingness to bribe officials of the EFCC led by its former chairperson, Farida Waziri.
“Despite the overwhelming evidence against Askia, he was never prosecuted,” said the source. “At times, the commission would come and arrest him. They would take him to their zonal office in Port Harcourt or straight to Abuja. But the more he was arrested and investigated, the more he boasted that, with his money, the commission could not do anything to him. He once boasted to the hearing of people that as long as Mr. Lamorde [current EFCC chair] remained in the EFCC, nothing would happen to him.”
The senior council staff quizzed by EFCC declined to comment for this report, stating that he was barely two months old in the council. Several sources at the council confirmed that he was not part of the council during Mr. Ogieh’s looting bonanza between 2008 and 2011. Among the documents being sought by the commission are those for contracts covering the moribund Uzere cassava plant, Uzere College road project, Olezi road project, and Emuoge road project. 
Mr. Ogieh’s tenure was always dogged by controversy. One staffer described him as “the most heartless and troublesome being I have ever met.” Before leaving office in 2011, Mr. Ogieh had a series of cases of misappropriation of public funds dangling over his neck. The cases kept officials of the EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) busy, even though they curiously never prosecuted Mr. Ogieh.
One of Mr. Ogieh’s most notorious acts was his unlawful sacking of over 450 teaching and non-teaching staff of primary schools. The act provoked irate residents to hurl stones at Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan at Oleh, Isoko South.
Mr. Ogieh’s last days as a council boss were also characterized by tense relations with his councilors over his refusal to give income and expenditure accounts of council expenditures. Disturbed by his consistent failure to render account to the legislative arm, the councilors moved a motion demanding the freezing of the council’s account.
In addition, the councilors decided at an emergency session to suspend Mr. Ogieh for three months. The action triggered a physical face-off in the council’s secretariat. In the ensuing fight, thugs loyal to Mr. Ogieh employed guns, machetes, and cudgels to intimidate those opposed to the rogue council boss.
The letter of suspension was dated January 25, 2011, and addressed to the Speaker of the Delta State House Assembly. The document was signed by Blessing Ese, the then leader of the legislative arm, with sixteen other councilors co-signing. In addition to demanding a three-month suspension for Mr. Ogieh, the signatories asked that the council’s accounts be frozen with immediate effect. They also stipulated that, until the council’s financial position became clear, all dealings with the chairman or his representatives should cease.
The suspension letter was copied to the state Director of State Security Service (SSS), the State Commissioner of Police and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Isoko South. It detailed Mr. Ogieh’s failure to render monthly statements of income and expenditure as required by state law as well as his alleged reckless spending of council funds without recourse to budgetary provisions.
Contacted by a reporter, Mr. Ogieh denied receiving an invitation letter from EFCC. “The EFCC cannot ask anybody to furnish it with any records that have to do with his former administration as the former council chairman of Isoko South local government area of Delta State because they have all the records in their possession,” said Mr. Ogieh. He added: “Remember that I was the most investigated local government chairman by EFCC, ICPC, special anti-fraud unit, Lagos, and the police. I have been to the EFCC’s Port Harcourt office, Abuja office, Benin office even as far as Lagos. But in all this, have I been prosecuted by any of all these agencies? The answer is no. So, as I am talking to you now I don’t have any knowledge of any invitation from EFCC.”
The former council chairman stated that, as an agency of the federal government, the EFCC has the power to “to invite anybody following a petition that must have been written against such person or persons.”

EFCC Docks Banker For Stealing N77 Million From Customers

Posted: July 19, 2012 - 17:59

Mrs. Nneka Nwilene

By Wilson Uwujaren-EFCC Media & Publicity Unit, Assistant General Manager of Bank PHB Plc, Trans Amadi branch, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Keystone

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, July 17, 2012, arraigned a banker, Mrs. Nneka Nwilene at the Federal High Court III, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on a six count charge of Stealing and Diversion of Funds from customers’ accounts. Mrs. Nwilene was a former Assistant General Manager of Bank PHB Plc, Trans Amadi branch, Port Harcourt, Rivers State ( now Keystone Bank).
Count two of the six count charge against Mrs. Nwilene reads: “That you Nneka Nwilene ‘f’ on or about the 22nd day of February, 2010 while  you were a staff of Bank PHB Plc, Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt, (now Keystone Bank) within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did steal the sum of thirty five million naira (N35,000,000) by fraudulently transferring same from a Platinum Bank account number 0572100177 with the Bank to a Platinum Bank account number 005305000008 in favour of Daba Williams, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 383(1) and punishable under Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Act Cap. C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004”.
 Mrs. Nwilene pleaded not guilty to all the counts, prompting the Prosecuting Counsel, A. Olatunji to urge the court to remand the accused in prison custody pending trial. But the defence counsel, M Onakpoya, made an oral bail application, insisting that the offence which his client is alleged to have committed was bail able.
But Justice Onyetenu in her ruling, ordered the defence counsel to file a formal bail application and serve same to the court before July 24, 2012, being the next adjourned date.
 The arrest of Nwilene followed a complaint by Mrs. Victoria Ekezie, a customer with Bank PHB, who requested for her account statements only to discover that the N35, 000,000 (Thirty Five Million Naira) in her fixed deposit account had been liquidated in favour of one Mrs. Daba Williams, without her authorization.
It was later discovered that Mrs. Nwilene had depleted funds from the account of Mrs. Williams, hence she decided to  ‘Rub Peter to pay Paul’, by liquidating the Fixed Deposit Account of the complainant, Mrs. Ekezie to fund the depleted account of Mrs. Williams.
 Further investigations into the activities of Nwilene, revealed that she had been pilfering from customers’ accounts successfully and unchecked, due to her elevated position at the bank. Several other discoveries were made, which prompted Mr. Aminu Ibrahim, an Assistant Manager in the Corporate Audit Division of Bank PHB to petition the EFCC on the various unauthorized transactions carried out in customers’ accounts by Mrs. Nwilene which amounted up to N77,810,020.91 (Seventy Seven Million, Eight Hundred and Ten Thousand, Twenty Naira, Ninety One kobo). Investigation also showed that she remitted part of her loot into one Chelsea Amber Nigeria Company Limited account, a company owned by her.

Absence of Oil Magnate Wagbatsoma Stalls Trial

Posted: July 26, 2012 - 12:51

Ontario Oil's Adaoha Ugo -Ngadi appears in court today

By SaharaReporters, New York

The case against seven suspected fraudsters linked to the theft of some $6.8 billion from the gasoline subsidy fund, was adjourned this week when several of the suspects failed to show up in court.

Among those who failed to appear before the Ikeja High Court was Nigeria's Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mohammed Bello Adoke, and Walter Wagbastsoma of Ontario Oil and Gas Ltd.

Justices Habeeb Abiru and Adeniyi Onigbanjo said that in the absense of Wagatsoma, the first defendant in the fraud case, pleas by other defendants in the case could not be heard. Wagbatsoma is said to have left Nigeria to France.

Attorney Joseph Nwobudu (SAN), who promised yesterday that his client would come before the court, now claims that Wagatsoma will appear on August 1. But rights activists were not convinced and called the absences an attempt to derail the trial.

The case, brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) includes the following charges:.Walter Wagbatsoma, Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi, Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer, Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele and Ontario Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited are to be arraigned for fraudulently obtaining over (N1.9 billion) from the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF)  for the purported importation of 39.2 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

Mahmud Tukur, Abdullahi Alao, Ochonogor Alex and Eterna Oil and Gas Plc for fraudulently obtaining N1,899,238,946.02 from the PSF for the importation of 80.3 million litres of PMS.

The EFCC alleged that they had, on April 28, 2011, in Lagos, fraudulently obtained N676.9 million from the Federal Government, purporting same to be payment accruing to Eterna Oil under the Petroleum Support Fund.

The commission also accused the marketers of falsifying claims to have purchased 33, 288,388 litres of Premium Motoring Spirits (PMS) from Mercury Energy Trading AS and imported same to Nigeria through Ex-MT Fulmer, Ex-MT Emirates Star and Ex-MT Panther.

The anti-graft agency said their alleged offences contravened Sections 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006.

The offences also contravened Sections 467 and 468 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State 2003, it added.

FCC Withdraws Charges Against Four Oil Subsidy Fraud Suspects-PREMIUM TIMES

EFCC Withdraws Charges Against Four Oil Subsidy Fraud Suspects-PREMIUM TIMES

Posted: July 31, 2012 - 21:45

Attorney General Mohammed Bello Adoke masterminds withrawal of charges

By Ben Ezeamalu

The EFCC back-pedals and withdraws charges slammed on oil marketers in the oil subsidy trials, citing orders from the attorney general.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, withdrew all criminal charges against four suspects in the on-going prosecution of oil marketers involved in the subsidy fraud.The anti-graft agency said the charges against Peter Mba, Pinnacle Oil and Gas, Durosola Omogbenigun, and Integrated Resources Limited at the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere were “misconstrued and was filed by mistake”.
The duo and their respective companies had been charged with conspiracy and fraud in obtaining over N2billion worth of subsidy payments from the Petroleum Support Fund.After a proper review, it was found that the suspects were innocent of the offence they were charged with, the EFCC said.
Samuel Candide-Johnson, the presiding judge, struck out the charges after an application by the agency.
Order from above
Rotimi Oyedepo, a counsel to EFCC, said that he was instructed by Mohammed Adoke, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, to withdraw the suit.“The information has not been served on the defence. I urge the court to strike out the charge,” Mr. Oyedepo said.“The charges preferred against the defendants in this case were misconstrued by the prosecution and were inadvertently filed against the said defendants.“A review of the prosecution’s case and the evidence available to the prosecution clearly show that the defendants did not commit the offences for which they are charged,” Mr. Oyedepo added.
The EFCC told the court that they would substitute the withdrawn charges with a newly filed one involving Oluwaseun Ogunbambo and others.“Withdrawing the charge against the defendants will meet the interest of justice in the case,” Mr. Oyedepo added.The four suspects had been charged with pocketing over N2 billion after claiming to have imported about 32 million litres of fuel from such places as Gibraltar and Geneva.