Alleged Complicity In 9.6 billion U.S. Dollars Judgment: EFCC Files Fresh Charges Against British Citizen, James Nolan

By Bimbo Ogunnaike

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday filed fresh charges against James Nolan, a British citizen, over his alleged complicity in the 9.6 billion U.S. dollars judgment.

The charges are the latest in the ongoing case involving Process and Industrial Development (P&ID), an Irish engineering company, and the Nigerian government following the non-execution of a 20-year gas and supply processing agreement between the two.

It would be recalled that a British court  had ruled in mid-August that the British Virgin Islands-based firm has the right to seize 9.6 billion dollars in Nigerian assets due to cancellation of the agreement by the Nigerian government.

Counsel to EFCC ,Ekele Iheanacho, told Justice Okon Abang at the Federal High Court in Abuja, that the anti-graft agency had filed an amended charge.

The Iheanacho said the EFCC is now bringing up a 32-count charge against the defendants in the case contrary to the initial 16-count charge bordering on money laundering.

The commission  had on October 21 arraigned Nolan and Adam Quinn, both British nationals, over their alleged complicity in the 9.6 billion dollars judgment against Nigeria.

The arraignment of the two British nationals is coming weeks after two P&ID directors were convicted over the deal.

Federal  government signed in 2010 a contract with P&ID, who would build a state-of-the-art gas processing plant to refine natural gas in Nigeria.

A statement from Nigeria’s minister of justice in August said P&ID never began the construction of the project facility after signing the contract.