authorised in 2011 by Mr Jonathan through some of his

 

The transaction was authorise find d in 2011 by Mr Jonathan through some of his cabinet ministers and the money was payment for OPL 245, one of Nigeria’s richest oil blocks.

Speaking at the Milan court on Wednesday, Mr Agaev disclosed that he knew former president Olusegun Obasanjo for the first time in the 1980s and campaigned for the former president’s release in the 1990s but didn’t learn about OPL 245 until 2008 when working for a Russian oil company.

He further disclosed that he knew the OPL 245 block was revoked because Mr Etete was associated with Malabu, the company owning the block. He alleged further that former President Olusegun Obasanjo said the block was intended for late Sani Abacha, a former Nigerian military ruler.
According to Barnaby Pace, a campaigner at anti-corruption group Global Witness, who was at th house e Milan Court, the defendant explained that after Mr
Abacha’s death, the company fell to Mr Etete.

Details of the Italian court proceedings were provided by Mr Pace, whose Global Witness has partnered with PREMIUM TIMES in the investigations.
Mr Agaev, who started his career for the Soviet Union Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he was a senior official for arms control, disclosed that his job was only to business find an investor because Mr Etete was in charge of negotiating with the Nigerian government and he didn’t need any help or contacts from him.

Mr Agaev alleged that the block was given back to Mr Etete by Mr Obasanjo to shore up political support in the south of Nigeria.
Mr Agaev also disclosed that he was introduced to Mr Etete by Aliyu Gusau in 2008. Mr Gusau served as National Security Advisor under Messrs Obasanjo and Jonathan. The former security chief wanted him to find a Russian oil company investor to deal with Etete and Shell, he added.

He said Mr Gusau later introduced him to John Coplestone of Shell, whom he (Gusau) knew because he had been head of the MI6 station in Abuja. The defendant explained that he only ever met Mr Etete because of Malabu and Mr Etete was the only person representing the firm on OPL 245.
When asked whether Shell knew he was being paid a commission, he replied in the affirmative, adding that he had to prove he had a mandate with Malabu because Shell employees were under very strict instructions not to discuss OPL 245.

Mr Agaev was asked about the dinner in February 2010 between Eni’s Claudio Descalzi, Mr Etete, himself and Emeka Obi, another middleman convicted for his role in the Malabu scandal. He explained that Messrs Obi and Descalzi had a good relationship based on the body language. He added, however, that Shell was worried about the role of the Attorney General, Mohammed Adoke.

He also claimed that Mr Etete told him he and Mr Adoke were “close” and the former attorney general was in turn close to Mr Jonathan.
The next hearing over the controversial case is scheduled for July 17.

The Vanguard

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