By INALEGWU SHAIBU
ABUJA — ATTORNEY General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Suleiman Adoke,  yesterday, said that government officials in the regimes of late General Sani Abacha, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and former President Olusegun Obasanjo collected $21 million bribe in the Halliburton bribe scandal.

Adoke who made the disclosure when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Judiciary to defend the Ministry’s 2011 budget however did not name the beneficiaries.

The Minister exonerated all the names mentioned in the media in the bribery scandal adding that out of the $180 million involved in the bribery, only $21 million was paid to Nigerians.

He said: “The Halliburton scandal is beyond the regime of President Obasanjo. It started from the time of Abacha, even officials of the government of General Abacha had collected money. Officials of the government of General Abdulsalam collected money, and it was a continuous process.

“The contract was already in existence. Some of the officials of government were directly involved in the bribery scandal.”

The Minister also clarified that former President Obasanjo did not partake in the contract, stressing:  “The aide said he collected it and he admitted that it was not for the President. He emphatically said that President (Obasanjo) never know about it.”

Money to influence LNG contract
Exonerating the names mentioned in the media, he said: “They gave this money to influence the award of LNG contract in Nigeria. Like I said $180 million as reported was by the London lawyer acting as the consultant hired by Halliburton.”

He, however, told the Committee $1billion has so far been repatriated from the Abacha family noting that he will provide copies of the report to the Committee.

A member of the Committee, Senator Ikechukwu Obiora, urged the Senate to conduct a public hearing on the scandal.

He queried: “The special assistant to President Olusegun was paid money in order to influence the award of this contract.

Was the contract a continuous one? So the successive governments were just taking part of what belong to them? But our President, Olusegun Obasanjo’s aide was paid. Was that meant for the aide or was it meant for the president?

“The Committee need to conduct full fledged public hearing so that we can really go into the bribery scandal.”