Britain to compel UK firms to disclose money paid to FG, says envoy

President Goodluck Jonathan

Determined to support the Goodluck Jonathan administration’s drive to root out corruption which threatens the nation’s stability and development, the British government yesterday revealed that it may compel British companies to divulge payments made to the Nigerian government, in order to strengthen accountability.

As govt blames inadequate documents for failure to prosecute Halliburton, Siemens suspects

Determined to support the Goodluck Jonathan administration’s drive to root out corruption which threatens the nation’s stability and development, the British government yesterday revealed that it may compel British companies to divulge payments made to the Nigerian government, in order to strengthen accountability.

Andrew Lloyd, British high commissioner to Nigeria , welcomed President Goodluck Jonathan’s focus on the fight against corruption, further stating that the western economies of the world were not immune to the downbeat effects of bribery and corruption.

According to him, the British government has brought in the United Kingdom (UK) Bribery Act, to make absolutely clear that bribery is unacceptable, while deliberately not imposing any unnecessary cost and uncertainty on legitimate business.

Lloyd made these remarks on Thursday at the Anti-corruption seminar organised by  the British High Commission in Abuja . “Let’s be clear, the Act is not about putting red tape in the way of the multitude of honest and law-abiding businesses. It’s about targeting the crooks who offer and solicit bribes, or at those who permit a bribing culture to flourish.”

He said Nigeria would not reach its unquestionable potential, unless there is a significant drive to address the menace at its core. The United Kingdom (UK), according to Lloyd, is working closely with the Federal Ministry of Justice through the Department for International Development’s ‘Justice for All’ programme, to tackle the menace which threatens Nigeria ’s trade, prosperity and economic systems. The British high commissioner to Nigeria harped on the need to reform Nigeria ’s institutional and legal anti-corruption framework, to ensure that government was able to deliver on this mandate.

“Many countries already have tough laws on bribery: but more can be done to make them stronger and also enforce them fully. That’s why we welcome President Goodluck Jonathan’s focus on the fight against corruption, which he highlighted in his presidential inauguration speech. That’s why we also welcome you today, to this conference in Abuja , on transforming Nigeria ’s potential into progress. Corruption and the impunity which follows, are the real threats to this ambition”, he added. Alluding to the negative effects of corruption, with regards to distortion of free and fair competition, as well as contributing to market failure, Lloyd revealed corruption raises the cost of doing business globally, and destroys more than a quarter of the value of public procurement in developing countries.

“….We are working closely with, and investing in Nigeria ’s government, agencies, civil society, and private enterprises, to help both of our countries work together toward an end of this problem. We are doing so because we support Nigeria ’s aspiration to thrive, to harness the dynamism and entrepreneurial spirit of its citizens and to be a leading international player on the global stage.

Meanwhle, the attorney- general of the federation and minister of justice, Mohammed Adoke, has blamed the inability to prosecute the Halliburton case, on lack of ‘adequate documents’.

Adoke, represented by the permanent secretary of the ministry, disclosed that his office has been involved in the prosecution of multi-nationals such as Halliburton, Siemens, and Julius Berger.

Adoke said: “Although the Nigerian government opted for plea-bargaining in these cases, it must be emphasised that these were cases where Nigeria did not have adequate documents to support a strong action in the courts.”

It is however important to recall that chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Farida Waziri during an interview in December last year, noted that the federal government opted for plea bargains in these cases “because of the nature of judicial system. It’s very slow,” she is on record as saying, adding that this plea bargain was the latest and best practice worldwide.

Nigeria’s government charged Halliburton with bribery in what became a controversial international drama, with the company ending up settling the case out of court, paying a fine of $35 million. In the case of Julius Berger, the company was charged along with other persons for conspiracy, bribery of Nigerian public officials associated with Bonny LNG project. The alleged bribe totaled $182 million. To avoid prosecution, the company agreed to pay $26 million as ex-gratia payment to the federal government, and a further $3.5 million as legal cost of the investigation. The charges arose from the bribery of Nigerian public officials amounting to approximately Euros 10 million, in order to secure telecommunication contracts in Nigeria . In the process, Siemens paid a total of $40,619,261.