The Department of State Security,
popularly referred to as SSS, has finally concluded investigations into the
controversial N6 billion contract for the procurement of six K38 patrol boats
for the Nigeria Army and submitted a report of its findings to President
Goodluck Jonathan. The President recently ordered investigations into
allegations of fraud levelled by one of the contractors awarded the boat
contracts.
The presidential directive came on
the heels of a petition dated October 12, 2012, entitled: “Conspiracy, fraud,
supervision & compromising of Nigeria’s National Security and Official
Corruption in the award and execution of National Security and defence projects
in Nigeria by a group of Jews operating under many guises with the active
connivance and involvement of a few unpatriotic Nigerians government officials
and businessmen.”
The petition signed by one Hassan
Rabiu, Managing Director of Hypertech (UK) Ltd, who is said to enjoy the
backing of a former National Security Adviser (NSA), fingered two firms owned
by two Israelis, among others. According to the petition, sometime in 2007, the
Ministry of Defence awarded a contract to Dolyatec to supply 20 units of the
K38 patrol boats to the Nigeria Army at the cost of over N6 billion. The
company allegedly collected 80 percent of the total contract sum and supplied
only eight units of the boats without supplying the balance of 12 boats.
According to the
petition, Hypertech CEO, in November 2011, was introduced to TP Marine
B.V, manufacturers of the boat, by the firm’s original agent, Mr. ZVi Turbo of
Shval Saar Limited. TP Marine, Hypetech’s MD claimed in his petition,
expressed its willingness to sell the remaining 12 unpaid boats at auction
price to offset its banking obligation. In the face of
the deadlock, Hypertech got government’s nod to supply the remaining boats but
at the point of payment, another dispute arose as to the real owners of the
company.
While Hassan Rabiu is laying claim
to Hypertech (UK) Ltd, another person, Mohammed Mustapha, claimed to be the
original owner of the company. Saturday Sun gathered authoritatively that after
weeks of investigations and interrogations of all named suspects by SSS
operatives, a damning report that indicted virtually all parties to the dispute
was prepared and endorsed to President Jonathan by the SSS. Beyond fingering
some of the parties to the dispute, the report also recommended that “they be
made to refund the funds already collected for which no boat has been supplied
or charged to court for criminal diversion of public funds.”
A top security source privy to the
content of the report said: “None of them was spared, including those that have
even gone public to celebrate that the SSS has cleared them. They will be
shocked whenever Mr. President directs implementation of the report.” When asked
what is delaying the implementation of the report, the source said: “Mr.
President has already minuted it out to an appropriate authority to review and
act on, but another leg was added to the whole controversy when it was
discovered, through a separate discreet investigation on one of the principal
actors, that his claim that a sitting governor of his home state was a
beneficiary of a meteorological radar equipment contract was a lie because the
governor has denied getting any contract from his organisation when he held
sway there. So, more things are coming out beyond the scope of the initial
probe.”
Those that had already been
interrogated by the SSS in connection to the boat contract probe include the
petitioner, Hassan Rabiu; his estranged business partner, Mustapha Mohammed;
two Israeli security consultants, Shay Tal and David Maman as well as top shots
of the recently dissolved Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime
Security (PICOMSS), among others.
Sun
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