THE Nigerian Presidency says it has been able to establish to the United Kingdom court that the deal involving Process and Industrious Development Limited (P&ID) was procured through bribes paid to insiders.
This remark was made in a statement issued by Garba Shehu, the Spokesperson to the President on Friday.
‘‘Nigeria has established a strong prima facie case that the Gas Supply and Processing (GSPA) was procured by bribes paid to insiders as part of a larger scheme to defraud Nigeria,” the statement read.
He expressed his contentment over the relief of $10 billion sanctions by a UK tribunal earlier levied on Nigerian in January 2017.
“The Presidency welcomes the judgment by the UK Court granting Nigeria’s application for an extension of time and relief from sanctions in a $10 billion arbitration case with P&ID in Nigeria,” Shehu noted.
He added that the judgement of the UK court is a step towards the right direction and provides a ‘strong prima facie case that the fraudulent gas deal with P&ID and the subsequent judgment debt of $10 billion against Nigeria was a clear attempt to cheat the country of billions of dollars by a company that had not invested one Naira in our country’.
He added that the country is also satisfied that the UK court ruled that Mr. Quinn, a party in the case gave ‘a perjured evidence to the Tribunal and that contrary to that evidence, P&ID was not in the position to perform the contract’.
According to Shehu, the presidency expresses delight with the processes that led to this outcome in the English Court, noting that it has given relief to the Nigerian government to further protect our national assets from criminally-minded organisations and individuals.
Shehu noted that Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, therefore, commends the team of lawyers who represented Nigeria in the matter with P&ID, and reassures all well-meaning Nigerians and the international community of his unwavering commitment to fight corruption in all its forms and manifestation.
The ICIR had reported that the UK court hearing the case between Nigeria and P&ID granted relief to the Nigerian government on the $10 billion sanctions against the country.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94