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09/05/2004:

"Halliburton Natural Gas Bribery Scandal in Nigeria"

by Mike Oduniyi and Ahamefula Ogbu
Following continued investigations on the alleged $180 million (about N25.2billion) bribery scandal over the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Project, Halliburton yesterday submitted documents listing the names of Nigeria government officials involved in the scandal to a French judge in Paris.

But in Abuja, the House of Representatives yesterday resolved that all companies linked with TSKJ and Halliburton in Nigeria should be excluded from new contracts pending conclusion of investigations on the matter.

In a bid to absolve itself of any criminal liability, Halliburton has submitted documents listing the names of Federal Government officials involved in the scandal to the French Judge presiding over the investigation in Paris yesterday.

The documents that are in the form of hand written notes are bound to cause a lot of discomfort for both present and past government officials, as it details out the precise amounts set aside for each government functionary with the intent to bribe.

Sources disclosed that the documents were submitted by executives of Halliburton to the French magistrate, Judge Renaud van Ruymbeke at 5 p.m. in Paris as part of efforts by the US oil service firm to cooperate with authorities investigating the bribery scandal.

Halliburton has insisted on its innocence since investigations began last year by both the Securities and Exchange Commission of the US and French authorities, and has maintained that the alleged bribing of Nigerian officials occurred before its acquisition of Kellog Brown & Root (KBR). Halliburton has also instructed its representatives in Nigeria to submit the same documents to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC), which waded into the investigation in Nigeria last month.

Full Article: allafrica.com