by Emeka Nwankwo
Chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited and a close ally of Ex-president Jonathan, Jide Omokore, was on Tuesday quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission in “connection with a series of multi-billion dollar petrol import and crude export deals”
According to Premium Times, Mr. Omokore was released on Wednesday after making several revealing statements to the anti-graft agency and he is expected to return with more documents.
Omokore’s company, Atlantic Energy Limited was among the companies that purportedly received public assets worth billions of dollars from the Jonathan administration in 2011, less than a year after the company was founded.
This awarding of public assets by the previous government was, allegedly, done without due process.
The said deal, wherein Omokore’s company was awarded 55% controlling stakes on two oil blocks for $50 million each, was endorsed by the then Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Madueke despite the fact that the company, according to Premium times, “had not produced a droplet of oil.”
On the other hand, Shell, a multinational company, owed a minority stake of 45% and paid $1.3 billion after a competitive bidding process was done –a greatly significant amount to what Omokore’s company paid for the controlling stake.
Atlantic Energy is also accused of non-remittance of funds to the government after lifting of crude oil. The company have, however, been asked to reconcile their accounts and pay up whatever they owe government.
Meanwhile, a top operative of the commission revealed to Punch Newspapers that Omokore was summoned by the Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Magu, to appear before the commission as a prelude to a proper interrogation.
The source was quoted to have said: “It is true that the oil mogul came to the commission today (Wednesday). He came to do things that have to do with documentation and he was allowed to go. The man was invited to the commission on the issue of documentation and he came.
“It is not as if he was given an administrative bail. The issue of bail did not even come up because he was not detained in the first place. The fact is, you cannot be talking of bail when his interrogation has not even commenced.”
Some of the documents Omokore was asked to bring back to the anti-graft agency is expected to contain more details of how his company- Atlantic Energy- conducted its business under the supervision of Diezani Alison-Madueke.
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