posted on April 21, 2009 12:56
The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN), has expressed disappointment at some transnational corporations who sabotage Nigeria’s war against corruption through unethical business practices, and Nigerians who allowed themselves to be used by Halliburton in this disreputable scheme to violate Nigeria’s laws.
He stated this today in Abuja when he inaugurated a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Halliburton bribery scandal in the Bonny Liquefied Natural Gas Project.
While noting that a lot of Nigerians had become understandably impatient with the due process of law in unmasking those implicated in the scandal, he said it was incumbent on him as the chief law officer to ensure that due process reigned supreme in all governmental actions, assuring that government would not shield anyone found culpable.
The Committee which principal objective is to unravel the names of Nigerians implicated in the scandal, will also establish the extent of involvement or culpability of any Nigerian in the scandal and the sums of money allegedly paid out to any person in Nigeria by Halliburton as bribes in respect of the project.
It will also liaise with the Swiss authorities with a view to tracing and recovering any sums stashed in Swiss banks for the benefit of those involved in the scandal.
The Committee is composed of the Inspector General of Police (chairman); the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); representatives of NSA, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and State Security Service (SSS).
Responding, the chairman of the committee, Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, thanked the President for choosing them to sit on the committee. He promised that they would do their best to ensure that justice was done.
The Committee has eight weeks from the date of inauguration to complete its assignment and submit its report.
This is coming at the heels of the recent disclosure by government that the sum of $150 billion of the scam money had been traced to a Swiss bank. Amidst the furore raised by the disclosure, Government had been accused of foot-dragging and being lethargic in pursuing the case not minding whose ox is gored.