Friday, the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Grace Taiga, a former director in
the ministry of petroleum resources, for alleged corruption in the gas supply
and processing agreement (GSPA) between the federal government and P&ID.
A high court of the federal
capital territory (FCT) remanded her in prison in Suleja, Niger state, after
she pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge levelled against her by the
EFCC.
She is to remain in custody until
September 25 when her bail application will be heard.
On the charge sheet, Taiga is not the only one being accused of financial impropriety in
the P&ID deal.
Michael Quinn, founder of
P&ID; Neil Hitchcock, managing director of Addax Petroleum; and Rilwan
Lukman (pictured), a former minister of petroleum resources — all deceased —
were named in the charge sheet.
P&ID, Quinn, Brendan Cahill,
Hitchcock, Lukmanu and Taiga were all mentioned in count one.
Lukman was mentioned in counts
two, three, seven and eight.
 |
Taiga, one of the former directors |
The company’s name was later taken out of the charge sheet after it was amended by the prosecution.
P&ID claims that it entered a
contract to build a gas processing plant in Calabar, Cross River state, with
the Nigerian government and the deal collapsed because the government did not
fulfill its own end of the bargain.
It then sued Nigeria and secured
a $9.6 billion judgement(including interest) in its favour.
COUNT ONE
That you, PROCESS AND INDUSTRIAL
DEVELOPMENTS LlMiTED being a company incorporated in the British Virgin Island
(convicted), MICHAEL QUINN (deceased), BRENDAN CAHILL (at large), NEIL
HITCHCOCK (deceased), and GRACE TAIGA on or about the 11th January, 2010 in
Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud
made a false statement in paragraph 8 (g) of the GAS SUPPLY AND PROCESSING
AGREEMENT (“GSPA”) to wit: the parties are aware that the 24inch Adanga
pipeline presently under construction from the Addax operated OML 123 directly
to Calabar and due for completion in 2010 which part of the said agreement you
knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 362
(a) of the Penal Code Law and punishable under section 364 of the same law
COUNT TWO
That you, GRACE TAIGA AND DR.
RILWAN LUKMAN (deceased) being public officers on or about the 11th January
2010 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court signed a
contract titled Gas Supply and Processing Agreement between the Ministry of
Petroleum Resources of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and PROCESS AND
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT LIMITED a corporation organized and existing under the
laws of the British Virgin Island without any cash backing and you thereby
committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 22(4) of the
Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences act, 2000.
COUNT THREE
That you, GRACE TAIGA AND DR.
RILWAN LUKMAN (deceased) being public officers on or about the 11th January
2010 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court signed a
contract titled Gas Supply and Processing Agreement between the Ministry of
Petroleum Resources of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and PROCESS AND
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT LIMITED a corporation organized and existing under the
laws of the British Virgin Island without obtaining the requisite statutory
approvals of the Federal Executive Council pursuant to section 2 (1) end (2) of
the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Comm15510n (Establishment, ETC),2005
and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section
22(4) of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences act, 2000.
COUNT FOUR
That you, GRACE TAIGA (former
Director of Legal Services in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources) on or about
the 14th of September, 2015 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable
Court corruptly received the sum of $1,000 (One thousand United States Dollars)
from Eastwise Trading Limited through the Zenith Bank offshore Account No.
5070369868 operated by you on account of the favour you showed to PROCESS AND
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT LIMITED which led to the definitive agreement entered
into between the company incorporated in the British Virgin Island and the
Ministry of Petroleum Resources in 2010 and you thereby committed an offence
contrary to section 8(1)(a) of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences
act, 2000.
COUNT FIVE
That you, GRACE TAIGA (former
Director of Legal Services in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources) on or about
the 18th of December, 2017 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable
Court corruptly received the sum of $10,000 (ten thousand United States
dollars) from Industrial Consultants International through your Zenith Bank
offshore Account No. 5070369868 on account of the favour you already showed to
PROCESS AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT LIMITED which led to the execution of the
definitive agreement entered into between the said company incorporated and
existing under the laws of the British Virgin Island and the Ministry of
Petroleum Resources on the 11th of January, 2010 and you thereby committed an
offence contrary to section 8(1) (a) of the Corrupt Practices and other Related
Offences act, 2000.
COUNT SIX
That you, GRACE TAIGA (former
Director of Legal Services in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources) on or about
the 27th of June, 2018 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court
corruptly received the sum of $10, 000 (ten thousand United States dollars)
from Industrial Consultants international through your Zenith Bank offshore
Account No 5070369868 on account of the favour you already showed to PROCESS
AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT LIMITED which led to the execution of the definitive
agreement entered into between the said company incorporated and existing under
the laws of the British Virgin Island and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources
in 2010 and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8(1)(a) of the
Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences act, 2000.
COUNT SEVEN
That you, GRACE TAIGA AND RILWAN
LUKMAN (deceased) being public officers in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources
on or about the 11th of January, 2010 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this
Honourable Court knowingly disobeyed the direction contained in section 2 of
the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (Establishment, ETC) Act
which required the approval of the Federal Executive Council prior to the
entering into such contract contained in the Gas Supply and Processing
Agreement between the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and Process and
Industrial Development Ltd signed by you and you thereby committed an offence
contrary to section 123 of the Penal Code law.
COUNT EIGHT
That you, GRACE TAIGA AND RILWAN
LUKMAN (deceased) being public officers in the Ministry of Petroleum resources
on or about the 11th of January, 2010 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this
Honourable Court knowingly disobeyed the direction contained in sections 15 and
16 of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 which required the issuance of a
“Certificate of No Objection to award of Contract” by the Bureau of Public
Procurement prior to entering into such contract contained in the Gas Supply
and Processing Agreement between the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and
Process and Industrial Development Ltd signed by you and you thereby committed
an offence contrary to section 123.
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