Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar
THE Federal Government has ordered the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, to arrest and prosecute all the principal suspects involved in the multi-million dollar Halliburton bribery scandal.

The suspects were, two years ago, arrested, following the heat on the Federal Government to prosecute all those involved in the bribery scandal.

A giant construction company linked with the scandal and recommended for trial later entered into plea bargain and paid the sum of $25 million to the Federal Government.

The latest government move follows the refusal of the United States government to release the balance of $180 million recovered from the Halliburton account.

The United States government had earlier prosecuted some major players in the scandal and convicted them in that country.

However, the Federal Government recently requested the United States government to release the balance of the $180 million frozen in the Halliburton account.

The United States government refused on the grounds that the government could not claim, that out of the all suspects, it was only Bodunde Adeyemi that was found fit to prosecute.

According to reliable presidency sources, the US government was not happy that the Nigerian government is not serious in fighting corruption and as a result, refused to release the money.

The United States government specifically mentioned a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal AD Bello (retd); Ibrahim Aliyu, brother to a former head of state; a former Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr Gaius Obaseki; a former Secretary of the Liquefied Natural Gas Board, a woman whose name is withheld as those neck deep in the bribery scandal.

They argued that Bodunde was merely an agent to those who benefitted from the Halliburton scandal.

The United States government also insisted that in spite of a construction firm’s plea bargain of $25 million, it too must be prosecuted.

The Halliburton scandal followed the bribe amounting to millions of dollar given to top government functionaries in order to get the second phase of the LNG project which has since been completed.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/lead-stories/49733-fg-orders-re-arrest-of-halliburton-bribery-scandal-suspects