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The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) yesterday wrote to President Goodluck Jonathan, asking him to direct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to probe the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) on his involvement over an alleged $26 million prosecution legal fees in the Halliburton/Siemens scandal.
The group in a letter dated July 26, 2011 to? the president, which was made available to LEADERSHIP? and signed by its spokesperson, Debo Adeniran, had accused the AGF of coordinating a? bribery scheme that extorted about $26 million from about 10 multinational companies involved in the Siemens and Halliburton bribery scandals in the last quarter of 2010.
This amount, according to the group was believed to have been collected under the official cover of making the accused multinational companies pay the legal fees of prosecution counsels even though the accused were never prosecuted in any court of the land to warrant such levy.
?“While the EFCC and the AGF have listed various sums of money totaling about $240million as funds recovered in fines and penalties from these multinational companies, no one has dared mention the $26 million or more secretly extorted from these companies and who the beneficiaries are”, CACOL stated.
The anti-graft organisation also wrote the EFCC chairman Mrs. Farida Waziri intimating her on the need to fight corruption head on without ‘sacred cows’.
The letter reads in part: “Mr. President, we would like to remind you that we have written two letters dated February 11 and June 28, 2011 respectively (copies attached), complaining that Chief Chief Aondoakaa’s successor, Mr. Adoke, seemed to be acting the same script Aondoakaa left behind in the Ministry of Justice. We asked, just like many Nigerians have also asked (copies of newspaper cuttings attached), that he also should be relieved of his position before he caused more damage to the already corruption-smeared image of Nigeria.
?“This is because his actions and pronouncements since he was appointed and re-appointed as the AGF shows that he is only out to aid, abet and protect perpetrators of corruption in Nigeria instead of leading the crusade against the menace.
“We also want to commend Your Excellency for your recent comments on the nation’s war against corruption especially your renewed commitment to the crusade and your directive to the anti-graft agencies to launch full scale investigations into the activities of federal ministries, departments and agencies. We have specifically quoted one of your recent statements in this regard in our petition to the EFCC and ICPC which is hereby attached. To demonstrate your commitment and seriousness attached to your words quoted in our petition as attached, we urge your excellency to as a matter of national interest direct the EFCC and ICPC to urgently investigate the attached petition with a view to bringing whoever is found culpable to face trial”.
While challenging the EFCC to rise above partisanship and demonstrate genuine anti-graft war, the letter further reads: “You will agree that this is a clear cut directive devoid of pretension, and which must be implemented without fear or favour. In view of this, your agency is therefore called upon to as a matter of urgency and national interest investigate allegations that the AFG and Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke coordinated a bribery scheme that extorted about $26 million from about 10 multinational companies involved in the Siemens and Halliburton bribery scandals in the last quarter of 2010.
“This amount was believed to have been collected under the official cover of making the accused multinational companies pay the legal fees of prosecution counsels even though the accused were never prosecuted in any court of the land to warrant such unethical secret levy.”
CACOL listed some of the multinational companies alleged to have been forced to pay various sums as fines and bribes under the cover of paying for prosecution’s legal fees, including Julius Berger, Snamprogetti, Halliburton, Technipp, Shell, Siemens, Saipem, Japanese Gas Corporation, Transocean and Noble Drill.
The group while disclosing that it has gotten information that Julius Berger alone coughed out $26million USD in fines and another $3million USD as bribe, called on EFCC to investigate the cases and file charges against all the accused.
“We also request you to establish through your investigation whether it is the practice for the accused in criminal cases to bear the cost of their own prosecution even though in these cases, no prosecution took place. We urge you to also file appropriate charges against anyone found to have abused his office in this matter at the end of investigation”, stated CACOL.