Plea bargain? Omokore, Diezani’s associate returns N200m

Mr Jide Omokore, Chairman, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Nigeria Limited has reportedly returned N200 million to the Federal Government.

Omokore, an associate of Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of Petroleum Resources and five others, have been on trial over alleged $800 million fraud.

Details of the arrangement are still sketchy, but it could be part of a plea bargain deal between the commission and Omokore.

According to sources in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), detectives had traced eight accounts in different branches of Skye Bank Plc to him and has frozen all of them.

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, had on Monday, July 4, 2016, sat over nine counts charges bordering on money laundering and procurement fraud leveled against Omokore and five other individuals and firms.

Read also: Moves to nail Patience Jonathan thicken as EFCC quizzes ex bodyguards

Omokore was arraigned on allegation that he used Strategic Alliance Agreement signed between the NPDC and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited to defraud the NPDC and the Nigerian government of billions of naira by lifting crude oil from some oil wells between March 2013 and May 2014.

He and others had pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
By Ebere Ndukwu …

 

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