Ex-President's ally grilled by EFCC over alleged multi-billion dollar deals

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday, January 26, grilled an ally of former president, Goodluck Jonathan and Chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited, Jide Omokore, over his role in a series of multi-billion dollar petrol import and crude export deals, Premium Times reports

According to the online news portal, which cited security sources, Atlantic Energy Limited was one of the companies that allegedly received multibillion dollar worth of public assets without due process by the Jonathan administration in 2011.

The company, which was less than one year old at the time and had not produced a droplet of oil, got controlling stakes in two lucrative oil blocks – OML 30 and 34 – for just over $50 million each.

The deal was said to have been signed by the ailing former minister of petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke The company got a controlling 55 percent stake in the oil block.

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The report said, in 2012, Atlantic Energy paid $168m into the government’s account, but lifted about three million barrels – valued at over $350 million.

It also allegedly lifted about 2 million barrels of crude valued at about $240million, but paid only $68million in 2013.

In the same vein, it reportedly paid zero cash-call, but lifted about 500,000 barrels of crude oil, valued at $54 million.

Another of Omokore’s company, SPOG, is also being probed for an alleged N400 million petrol import fraud.

The company allegedly imported 3,000 metric tonnes of PMS but filed claims for subsidy payment of 13,000 metric tonnes with the Petroleum Product Regulatory Agency (PPRA).

The EFCC had raided Omokore's company, and took away documents and computers.

Iit was gathered that Omokore was released on the evening of Wednesday, January 27; and expected to return with some required documents.