LAGOS— Switzerland government has frozen bank accounts containing $100 million in continuation of an investigation into alleged $180 million bribery scandal involving a consortium known as TSKJ, operating in Nigeria.
The TSKJ consortium comprises Technip S.A of France, Snamproggetti, a subsidiary of ENI SpA of Italy; M.W. Kellogg Company, a subsidiary of Halliburton (USA) and the Japanese Gasoline Corporation.
Geneva State investigator, Daniel Dumartheray, confirmed a report in the daily Tribune de Geneve that the freeze order was imposed after the French judiciary asked Switzerland to grant judicial assistance for its investigation in the case.
Although Dumartheray declined to identify the account holders or the banks involved, independent sources in London said the accounts belong to promoters of TriStar, an agent of TSKJ and some other Nigerians.
Sources said the frozen accounts were linked to the $180 million allegedly paid by the TSKJ consortium to win contracts for the construction of the Liquefied Natural Gas project in Nigeria between 1995 and 2002. Following the formation of TKSJ, it created a subsidiary —LNG Servicos based on the Portuguese island of Madeira, where tax laws exempt businesses.
LNG Servicos, in turn, paid $180 million to yet another entity called Tristar (Gibralter—a British tax haven) for unspecified services. TriStar seems to have had a single official—Jeffrey Tessler, a lawyer whose practice is in London, UK.
It was gathered that Mr. Tessler was chosen to perform these services based on 30 years on contacts in Nigeria in particular, his close contacts with Dan Etete, oil minister of the late General Sani Abacha.
However, it remains unclear exactly what Tessler/Tristar did for LNG Servicos, or where the $180 million went. But it has been ascertained that the money was put in secret accounts in Monaco and Switzerland,
Answering questions before a judge recently, Mr Tessler admitted that payments were made to Mr. A Jack Stanley through a Fides Trust account, former Managing Director of MW Kellogg, Mr. Amafegha on behalf of Chief Dan Etete, while one Mr Chodan was paid through a New Jersey bank account.
In reaction to the development, Mr. Chudi Offodile, House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Public Petitions, said the freezing of the accounts was a plus for co-operation between nations in an attempt to unravel the mystery surrounding the scam.
He, however, said there were moves by affected parties to challenge the order freezing the accounts, adding that the House was trying to get the executive arm of government to collaborate more with the legislative arm on matters such as loot recovery.
Offodile urged the executive to note that there was currently pressure from the Swiss private sector on what to do with recovered stolen money and called for a concerted approach by the Nigerian authorities.
Also reacting, Suzan Hawley of the Cornerhouse, a Non-Governmental Organisation based in the United Kingdom described the development as a positive one in the fight to recovery looted funds.
She said that credit for the frozen accounts should go to the French judiciary, adding that contrary to claims by the Nigeria LNG, her group was not against the location of Export Credit Guarantee Agencies projects in Africa. "We want to ensure that projects supported by the ECGA are not undermined by bribery and corruption and that it does no social damage," she explained.
