P&ID fraud: Reps ask EFCC to investigate parties

The House of Representatives has asked the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, to investigate the conduct of all legal and other services providers involved in the P&ID deal.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance by Rep. Kama Nkemkanma (LP-Ebonyi) at the plenary in Abuja on Wednesday.

The House congratulated President Bola Tinubu and the good people of Nigeria for the well deserved victory over $11 billion P&ID deal at the Business and Property Court in London.

The case was presided over by Justice Robert Knowles on Sept. 23.

Moving the motion, he said the House was gladdened by the judgment by the London court London, which halted the enforcement of the $11 billion arbitration award in favour of P&ID against Nigeria.

He said the judgment delivered by Knowles held that the process through which P&ID secured a 2010 contract to build a gas processing plant in Calabar, Cross River State, was fraudulent.

He said Knowles held that the awards were obtained by fraud and the way they were procured was contrary to public policy.

“What happened in this case is very serious indeed, and it is important that Section 68 has been available to maintain the rule of law.”

The lawmaker said Nigeria had been involved in a fight with P&ID since the company accused the Nigerian government of botching a deal by failing to provide gas to them

This, according to him, led to the ugly situation where the country suffered a $6.6 billion judgment debt in 2017.

He said this was when the arbitration tribunal ordered the country to pay P&ID with interest to start counting from March 2013.

He said the EFCC, in 2018, began investigating P&ID and found evidence of two bank transfers totalling $20,000 made by Dublin based Industrial Consultants.

He said it was part of the P&ID group of companies through Grace Taiga, a Nigerian government lawyer, who oversaw the award of the gas plant contract.

This, he said, exposed the level of shoddiness and corruption around the entire process.

Adopting the resolution, the House mandated the committees on Justice and Financial Crimes to investigate the conduct of all legal and other services providers involved in the P&ID deal.

The House also urged the committee to report back within four weeks.
NAN

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