Ex-NNPC Chiefs, Firm Under Probe Over N8.1bn Bonga Oil Field Judgement

No fewer than six former top officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) are under investigation for their involvement in the award of a contract which led to $22,630,000 (about N8,146,800,000) judgment-debt against the corporation.
Some officials of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) have also been invited for questioning.
It was learnt that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who is an NNPC counsel, has appeared before the investigation team.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, on its ongoing probe of the contract ahead of NNPC’s demand for a judicial review of the judgment cash by the Supreme Court.
The apex court had ordered NNPC to pay N8.1billion to BCE Consulting Engineers over a failed consultancy service contract.
The contract, dated May 20, 1999, was in respect of SNEPCo Bonga Field Development Project in OPL 212.
But the Federal Government and the NNPC are seeking the review of the July 5, 2019 judgment following alleged error of facts.
The EFCC launched a probe into the contract following revelations of alleged connivance by some top officials of NNPC and NAPIMS.
A top EFCC official said: “Altogether, six top NNPC officials were involved in the award of the consultancy contract which did not follow due process, our detectives are probing how the contract was conceived and awarded to BCE.