There are strong indications that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would be coming after six senior advocates of Nigeria (SAN), as it revisits its investigation into the unresolved Halliburton bribery case.
The matter saw a foreign consortium of companies allegedly bribing
Nigerian officials with over $180 million to win contracts to build the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas plant. According to unconfirmed reports, Damian Dodo, a SAN, was quizzed by a new panel of operatives of the EFCC on the scam.
Past heads of state had been alleged to being bribed by an American firm, Halliburton, to secure a construction contract for a liquefied natural gas plant in Bonny Island in the Niger Delta.
Upon the anti-graft’s agency’s revisit on the matter, Dodo was reportedly questioned for his role in an alleged receipt of $26 million from Halliburton, along with a former minister and five other SAN.
Specifically, Dodo was alleged to have received $4.5 million through his firm, DD Dodo and Co. from multinational companies involved in the deal, purportedly as legal fees.
He was also alleged to have withdrawn over $2 million cash for purposes investigators believe were unclear, and in flagrant violation of Nigeria’s extant money laundering regulations.
When asked who the other SANs alleged to have been committed to the scam are, Wilson Uwujaren, spokesperson for the EFCC, said he do not have the information, and “I do not know” was the reply to an SMS sent to him.
However, as of the time of filing this report, Dodo’s mobile number was unreachable, while SMS sent to him was not replied.
SEYI ANJORIN
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