CSNAC DEMANDS SANCTION OF COMPANY INVOLVED IN $20M NPA BRIBERY SCAM INVESTIGATIONS

The Civil Society Network Against Corruption, CSNAC, calls on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to speed up efforts its investigation of the $20m bribery scam that has former officials of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA at its centre.
CSNAC Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju made this call Wednesday afternoon in Abuja where he maintained that it was proving an embarrassment to the anti-corruption stance of the current administration. In his words: “For an administration that prides itself on fighting corruption, leaving a case this high unconcludent and allowing investigations to drag on forever goes against everything this administration has been preaching since its inception. The EFCC must ensure that investigations reach a logical end and those found guilty are made to face the full wrath of the law.”

Speaking further, he observed that: “The bribery scam involved Dredging International Services, a Swiss company in Cyprus, but while the company has been found guilty in Switzerland and fined 1 million Swiss Francs since 2012, the EFCC investigation is still pending and the culprits continue to walk free.”

According to report in Punch Newspaper of Tuesday, October 17 2017 the management of Nigeria Ports Authority confirmed writing the Office of Attorney General for legal advice on the legitimacy of continued interaction with Dredging International services in the new dredging contract announced by the NPA.. CSNAC queries, the rationale for the legal advice if not a search for an indicted firm after the Switzerland has completed its own investigations and prosecuted the culprits since 2012. Explaining further, the CSNAC Chairman revealed that the indicted company Is still bidding for contracts while their bribery scam remained unconcludent.

Nigeria in the past sanctioned Halliburton and SIEMEN in the past for their indictment in bribery cases and prevented from participating in contract implementation. It is curious how NPA is framing excuses for purported involvement of the indicted company in the bidding process for the new dredging contract. The action runs contrary to the anti-corruption mantra of this government and capable of sending the wrong signal of endorsing bribery to the international community. CSNAC Chairman concluded by demanding immediate disqualification of Dredging International services and sanctioned from participating in future contract in Nigeria. He concluded by calling on the EFCC to hasten investigations and prosecution of all those connected with the crime