Justice
Silvanus Oriji of the FCT High Court, Apo, Abuja, has adjourned hearing
in the suit involving two directors of Origin Oil and Gas Limited,
Adegibite Adetoye and others
in the alleged N735million subsidy fraud to March 7th, 2019.
The
defendants are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, on an 11- count charge bordering on fraud and abuse of
Petroleum Support Fund to
the tune of N735m.
Recall that the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources had invited the EFCC, to help investigate the subsidy scam.
The
defendants were alleged to have conspired and fraudulently obtained the
sum of N735, 132, 076.18, (Seven Hundred and Thirty five Million, One
Hundred and thirty two Thousand
Seventy Six Naira and Eighteen Kobo) only from the Federal Government
as payment for the importation of 15,000 mt of petrol, which they
claimed to have purchased from Vitol SA and imported into Nigeria
through MT Silverie.
At
the resumed sitting on Wednesday, March 6, 2019, the fourth prosecution
witness, an operative with the EFCC, Chidi Nweke, led in evidence by
the prosecution counsel, Steve
Odiase, told the court that fourth quarter allocation in 2010, was
given to the three defendants by the PPPRA, for the importation of PMS.
According
to him, the importation was carried out by the defendants using the
M.T. Silverie, which was purportedly loaded offshore through
Cotonou in January, 2011 and discharged its entire cargo with the
quantity of 19,179,999 liters of PMS at Lister depot Apapa Lagos
operated by ‘O and O’ PLC.
Nweke
told the court that the defendants in turn submitted a claim to the
PPPRA, on February, 2011, for their company, Origin oil and Gas, and was
paid N1, 137,565,740.69
billion for 19,179,999 million liters of PMS, which was later confirmed
to be false.
“On
confronting the operator of lista depot, we discovered that only
6,784,921 liters of PMS was discharged. They also forwarded copies of
the lease agreement which showed
that ‘O and O’ plc; was the sole operator of the lista depot”, he
added.
“Also,
while interviewing the terminal manager of Lista depot, Mr. Irene
Moses, also confirmed that the said amount was supplied, while also
inspection agents/surveyors who
participated in the operation of discharge of pms confirmed the said
amount of 6,784,921 liters”.
Nweke
while giving his witness, also said that during investigations, that
the documents explaining how the PMS was discharged for which M.T.
Silverie used to claim subsidy
payments and certified copies shows that only 6,784,921 liters was
discharged.
"Furthermore,
we contacted the ship owner of M.T. Silveria Union Maritime Limited,
who represents the manager of the vessel in Nigeria Betta Shipping
Limited who stated that
although the M.t. silverie loaded over 19 million liters in January
2011, they received instruction from Nepal Oil and Gas Business Partners
to the defendants to transfer about 12 million litres to another vessel
at offshore Cotonu in the name of MTTDT2",
he said.
“When
we invited the Managing Director of Nepal Oil and Gas, Mrs. Ngozi
Ekemo, she informed us that she had bought the entire cargo from the
defendants in two parts. The
first part was sold to her offshore in Cotonu at 12,000000 million
litres. The second part was sold to her in Nigeria at a quantity of
6,784,921 million litres, which she sold to ‘O and O’ PLC; and she
submitted documents of transactions to her claims.
“On
receiving this information, a letter was written to PPPRA, and the
response amounted to N402, 000, 000 (Four Hundred and two million Naira)
only instead of N1, 137,565,740
billion paid by the Federal Government of Nigeria to the defendants.
The difference being N735, 152, 76 million”.
The
prosecution witness further explained that the documents of the
inspection agents notably, Quantity Marine Services (qms) and port cargo
experts were altered and forged
adding that same was used to claim subsidy from Federal Government of
Nigeria.
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