A Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), leave to arraign six suspects over the $180million Halliburton bribery scandal.
The suspects, who were the alleged Nigerian accomplices in the scam, included Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu, Mohammed Bakari, Urban Shelter Limited, Intercellular Nigeria Limited, Sherwood Petroleum Limited, and Tri-Star Investment Limited.
The development followed a nine-count charge, which the anti-graft agency filed against the suspects on December 17, 2010. Consequently, the court granted leave for their arraignment as prayed by counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Godwin Obla. The court also fixed January 27, 2011 for the arraignment.
The commission had earlier filed criminal charges against former American Vice President, Dick Cheney, on the same matter. Also charged along with him before an Abuja High Court, were eight others, including Albert Jack Stanley, David Lesar, William Ucut, Halliburton Incorporated, Kellog, TSKJ Nigeria, TSKJ Consortium, and Brown & Root (KB)]. They were slammed with a 16-count charge, bordering on corruption and financial crimes.
However, the charges against Cheney and some others were dropped, following agreement reached in a plea bargain. The commission, through the plea bargain arrangement, said it recovered over $120 million as fines from some multi-national firms and their officials indicted in the bribery scam in addition to the repatriation of another sum of $130 million, which had been trapped in a Swiss bank.
EFCC spokesman, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the court’s permission for arraignment of the six Nigerian suspects when contacted on the development.
Source:Sun
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