P&ID Scandal: NGO urges Nigeria, UK to blacklist companies, persons involved
By Emmanuella Anokam
The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), has urged Nigerian and UK Governments to blacklist and place indefinite ban on companies and persons involved in the scandal that rocked the Process and Industrial Development Limited (P&ID).
The Non-Governmental Organisation also called on the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to set up a probe panel to unpack what happened in the P&ID Case and draw lessons for future engagement.
Rev. David Ugolor, Executive Director, ANEEJ, made the call on Thursday in Abuja at a news conference while reacting to the UK Court ruling on the P&ID Scandal.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on Monday, the Business and Property Court in London stopped the enforcement of the US$11 billion arbitration award in favour of P&ID against Nigeria in a case marked CL-2019-000752.
The Judge, Robin Knowles, found that massive arbitration award in favour of P&ID was tainted by fraud. In his words, “The awards were obtained by fraud. The way the awards were procured was contrary to public policy.”
Ugolor said it was enthused that Nigeria was able to establish a strong prima facie case that the 2010 gas project agreement between the government and P&ID “was procured by bribes paid to insiders as part of a larger scheme to defraud Nigeria.
“We are equally happy that even though Nigeria won this case, the London Court lambasted some Nigerian officials for their greediness and unpatriotic act that would have cost the country US$11 billion in damages which would have amounted to one third of the 2024 budget.
He, therefore, urged Nigerian and UK governments to identify and prosecute those involved in the grand corruption to serve as a deterrent and also end the culture of impunity in business transactions in Nigeria.
“For transparency and accountability purposes, we wish to call on the Nigerian government to publish the total amount spent in the prosecution of the case.
“For us in ANEEJ, we see the outcome of the case as a blessing for poor Nigerians, currently suffering from corruption carried out by Nigerian elites and their foreign collaborators over the years.
“The UK Court has blocked the stealing of poor people’s resources and we commend the UK government and the tenacity of the Muhammadu Buhari administration not to accept the dubious out of Court settlement initiated by Goodluck Jonathan’s administration,” the executive director said.
Ugolor, while appealing to the Federal Government to also expose other similar shady deals hidden in the country, tasked the media to assist in beaming their searchlight and exposing such scandalous activities.
The Nigerian government has been involved in a battle with P&ID Ltd. since the company accused the Nigerian government of botching a deal by failing to provide gas to them.
The country has suffered a US$6.6 billion judgement debt in 2017 when the arbitration tribunal ordered the country to pay P&ID with interest to start counting from March 2013. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng).
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Edited by Vincent Obi
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