Italian prosecutors have named former President Goodluck Jonathan and Mrs. Diezani Alison- Madueke , who served under his administration as Minister of Petroleum Resources , among those who allegedly received kickbacks in the controversial $ 1 .3 bn oil block deal involving oil giants ENI and Royal Dutch Shell .

According to AFP, Italian prosecutors , in court documents filed late last months in Milan , claimed that the Chief Executive of ENI , Claudio Descalzi , and his predecessor, Paolo Scaroni , met Jonathan “ in person” to thrash out the deal , which also involved former British intelligence agents working as advisors for Shell .

The prosecutors alleged that Jonathan and Diezani benefitted from a sum of $ 466 m converted into naira and used to grease the palms of some Nigerian government officials to facilitate the alleged shady deal .
The prosecutors alleged that another $ 54m was withdrawn by one Abubakar Aliyu, whom the prosecutors described as an “ agent ” of Jonathan .

The beneficiaries of the money went on a shopping spree buying “ property , aeroplanes , armoured cars, ” prosecutors stated in the court papers.

In the said papers, which AFP claimed to have sighted , the Italian prosecutors alleged that ENI and Shell executives worked with a Nigerian businessman , Dan Etete, who was an “ oil minister under the military ruler , Sani Abacha , from 1995 to 1998.”

Etete ’s company, Malabu was the alleged “ fraudulent holder ” of the OPL 245 block , according to the court documents filed by Italian prosecutors .

The prosecutors claimed that after talks in Milan and Abuja , the oil block was bought illegally by the oil majors in contravention of domestic laws, “ without competitive tendering ” and with “ full , unconditional exemption from all national taxes .”

To facilitate the alleged shady deal , a total of $801 . 5m was allegedly transferred to Etete’s Malabu accounts , out of which $ 466 m was converted into naira and used for greasing the palms of government officials, including Jonathan and Diezani .
However, ENI and Shell have both denied wrongdoing in the transaction .

Shell , in an email to AFP, said, “ We are aware of the investigation and we hope to show the prosecutor that there is no basis to prosecute Shell .

“ Shell takes this matter seriously and is co- operating with the authorities. ”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had also recently pressed charges in connection with the same oil block deal .

Last Friday , the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered three banks to temporary forfeit a sum of $ 153 m , which Diezani allegedly siphoned from the coffers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

For his part , Jonathan has denied that his government was corrupt and contested that the claim by his successor , President Muhammadu Buhari , that he left “ virtually empty ” treasury.



http://punchng.com/malabu-scandal-jonathan-diezani-named-italian-probe/

Na wa oh

Jonathan this.

Jonathan that.

Jonathan evewhere you go....