Rep. Kama, while decrying the fraudulent process of the P&ID deal, noted the need for prioritization and strengthening of the nation’s procurement law.
The House of Representatives has resolved to launch an investigation into the Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID) contract.
It directed its Committee on Justice and Financial Crimes to investigate the service providers involved in the 20-year gas supply purchasing agreement (GSPA) contract.
According to the lawmakers, investigating the service providers who helped P&ID secure the $11 billion arbitration award using fraudulent means is of significant importance.
The resolution was contained in a motion of urgent importance calling for “the investigation of legal service providers of P&ID.”
The motion’s sponsor, Rep. Nkemkanma Kama (LP, Ebonyi) observed that the service providers played a huge role in the controversial P&ID contract.
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It would be recalled that on Monday, October 23, Nigeria won its bid to overturn an $11 billion damages bill involving the controversial Process & Industrial Developments (P&ID) deal at the Business and Property Court in London.
The federal government had argued that a campaign of bribery and fraud procured the collapsed gas processing project.
The UK court upheld Nigeria’s prayer on the grounds that the ill-fated gas processing contract was obtained by fraud.
Speaking on this judgment, Kama lauded the “President and the Nigerian citizens on the well-deserved victory at the business and property court in London.”
He described the case as a “serious matter”, and called for the prioritization of the law in the country’s procurement process.
The lawmaker also pointed out that the investigation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in 2018, provided evidence of cash transfers which “exposed the level of fraud around the entire process.”
The Committee on Justice and Financial Crime, along with the Committee on Petroleum Resources will investigate the service providers involved in the deal and report back to the House within 4 weeks for further legislative actions.
