Ex-minister quizzed over Halliburton scandal

Chris Agbambu, Abuja - 21.05.2009

A former Petroleum Minister and Special Adviser on Petroleum during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime was on Wednesday quizzed over the Halliburton bribery scandal.

The former minister, who faced the panel investigating the $182million Halliburton bribery scandal over the $1.9billion, third phase of the Liquefied Natural Gas project was quizzed out of the panel’s sitting premises, in Abuja.

Meanwhile, four former Group Managing Directors (GMDs) of NNPC, have been implicated in the bribery scam, and have been summoned to appear before the panel.

The GMDs were alleged to be the contacts that the Halliburton were using to get to the top government functionaries to bend the rules to award them the contract for the project.

It was also revealed that the bribes, were also passed through the GMDs, in various accounts, before passing into the accounts of some former heads of state and the top government functionaries.