Investigations by SaharaReporters have revealed that this property was
purchased on May 30, 2014 by one Kevin Okyere, who has close ties with
Mrs. Alison-Madueke, for the astonishing sum of £4.5 million.
SaharaReporters has found that a £4.5 million mansion
belonging to the notable oil tycoon from Ghana, Kevin Okyere, provides a
connection between him and the recently arrested former Nigerian
Minister for Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke and her ongoing
legal battles.
On Friday October 2, 2015 Diezani Alison-Madueke was arrested, along
with four other individuals ages 30-60, by agents of the UK National
Crime Agency (NCA) for financial crimes of bribery and money laundering,
according to a press release by the NCA.
The following Monday, October 5, UK police officers filed for the
seizure of £27,000 found with Mrs. Alison-Madueke by British authorities
under the powers enshrined in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Beatrice
Agama, Alison-Madueke’s mother, also had £5,000 and $2,000 detained. A
third individual, Melanie Spencer, similarly had £10,000 detained by
British authorities operating under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Since the detention of these funds, SaharaReporters has found that
Melanie Spencer, implicated in the NCA’s ongoing investigations with
Alison-Madueke, is a resident at 14A St Johns Wood Road, NW8 8RE in
London. Further investigations by SaharaReporters have revealed that
this property was purchased on May 30, 2014 by one Kevin Okyere, who has
close ties with Mrs. Alison-Madueke, for the astonishing sum of £4.5
million.
According to UK Land Registry documents obtained by SaharaReporters,
the purchase was financed by the Standard Bank Isle of Man Ltd. Law
enforcement agents in the UK told our reporter that the loan obtained
from the bank in the Isle of Man is highly suspicious as it shows that
Mr. Okyere was using the loan to hide his money laundering activities.
During her stint as Minister, Mrs. Alison-Madueke used Mr. Okyere in
interfacing with industry operators, directly appointing him as a
personal assistant in 2014. Mr. Okyere’s Springfield Energy Ltd was one
of the indigenous companies cited in a $40 billion annual contract
awarded by Mrs. Alison-Madueke in April 2014.
In June 2012 in Abuja Mr. Okyere incorporated “Springfield Ashburton
Limited” located at No 8 Nyasa Close, Off Mississippi, Off Ontario
Crescent, Maitama, Abuja with a share capital of N1million. The company
had as co-directors,Ms. Gena Punjabi and Adetola Sarah Mary Olufemi. In
the registration document obtained by Saharareporters, Springfield
Ashburton Ltd did not disclose its objectives, however, it was one of
the indigenous companies chosen by Mrs. Alison-Madueke to benefit from
generous contracts to lift Nigeria crude oil in 2014 barely two years
after it was incorporated.
Also, in February 2014, Mr. Okyere hurriedly registered a company
“Springfield Oyoko Ltd” in London, appointing himself as Managing
Director. He also appointed an Italian woman, Ms. Maria Luisa Cicognani
and a Ghana-based Indian woman, Ms. Gena Punjabi as co-directors.
On August 30th, 2014, Mr. Okyere terminated the directorship of Ms.
Cicognani, for undisclosed reasons. Ms. Punjabi remains on the board of
several companies owned by Mr. Okyere.
In September 2014, Mr. Okyere changed the address of his newly formed
company to number 14A Studio and garage, St Johns Wood Road from its
original address at 145-157 John Street, London, England EC1V 4PW. As
the Nigerian presidential elections approached first in February 2015
(later postponed till March 28, 2015), Mr. Okyere applied for the
dissolution of the company in London.
On October 2, 2015, agents of the UK National Crime Agency busted Ms.
Melanie Spencer at the address of Mr. Okyere’s Springfield Oyoko Ltd
(now dissolved) with the sum of £10,000, the UK anti-crruption unit
approached the Westminster Magistrate Court in London with an
application asking to freeze Ms. Spencer £10,000 until April 2016. The
application was granted.
Mr. Okyere, like Mrs. Alison-Madueke, is the deep pocket for Ghanaian
political gladiator of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Mr. Okyere is
married to Melanie Spencer, a niece of Rebecca Akufor -Addo, the wife of
the NPP Presidential candidate, Nana Akufor-Addo. Melanie Spencer is
the daughter of a former Ghana Airways pilot, Powis Spencer, according
to SaharaReporters investigations.
Mr. Okyere is using his influence to suppress media reports about his
relationship with Diezani Alison-Madueke by suing select Ghanaian
publications, including The New Statesman, The Al-Hajj, the Herald, and
The Republic. His legal threats spread across to Nigeria where online
publications that mentioned his name have been forced under threat to
uproot the stories from their servers.
A source in the UK government told SaharaReporters that they have
developed extensive leads to Mrs. Alison-Diezani’s corrupt deals and
those of her collaborators. One of our sources stated that Mrs.
Alison-Maduke’s corruption has an “Imelda Marcos” dimension to it that
would shock the world whenever her trial commences.
A Nigerian lawyer, Oscar Onwudiwe, who serves Mrs. Alison-Madueke,
issued a statement last week stating that the former minister has
cancer. He later told our reporter that the former Minister would be
undergoing surgery for breast cancer sometime [this] week.
International
companies, which are aggressively cutting spending on costly drilling
projects on the back of lower profit margins, will then revisit their
investment exposure to Nigeria and look for other capital deployment
opportunities. As it is, Anglo-Dutch major Shell – operating in the
country since 1937 – has already postponed a final investment decision
on its multibillion-dollar offshore Bonga South West project expansion
until 2016 in the wake the ongoing oil price rout.
Last Thing Nigeria Needs: Uncertainty
Companies generally prefer a stable environment to do business. Therefore, any uncertainty emanating from the possible change in contract terms signed with international oil companies could jeopardize investment in new ventures. With oil prices falling through the floor, Nigeria is already struggling. Any battles over revenue break-up from the fields could only magnify the problem. Worryingly, this might alienate the multinational firms that it so desperately needs to churn out the country’s most valuable commodity from its reserves.
- See more at: http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/193831/oil-majors-worried-as-nigeria-plans-to-review-contracts#sthash.6xShuOhO.dpuf
Last Thing Nigeria Needs: Uncertainty
Companies generally prefer a stable environment to do business. Therefore, any uncertainty emanating from the possible change in contract terms signed with international oil companies could jeopardize investment in new ventures. With oil prices falling through the floor, Nigeria is already struggling. Any battles over revenue break-up from the fields could only magnify the problem. Worryingly, this might alienate the multinational firms that it so desperately needs to churn out the country’s most valuable commodity from its reserves.
- See more at: http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/193831/oil-majors-worried-as-nigeria-plans-to-review-contracts#sthash.6xShuOhO.dpuf
International
companies, which are aggressively cutting spending on costly drilling
projects on the back of lower profit margins, will then revisit their
investment exposure to Nigeria and look for other capital deployment
opportunities. As it is, Anglo-Dutch major Shell – operating in the
country since 1937 – has already postponed a final investment decision
on its multibillion-dollar offshore Bonga South West project expansion
until 2016 in the wake the ongoing oil price rout.
Last Thing Nigeria Needs: Uncertainty
Companies generally prefer a stable environment to do business. Therefore, any uncertainty emanating from the possible change in contract terms signed with international oil companies could jeopardize investment in new ventures. With oil prices falling through the floor, Nigeria is already struggling. Any battles over revenue break-up from the fields could only magnify the problem. Worryingly, this might alienate the multinational firms that it so desperately needs to churn out the country’s most valuable commodity from its reserves.
- See more at: http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/193831/oil-majors-worried-as-nigeria-plans-to-review-contracts#sthash.6xShuOhO.dpuf
Last Thing Nigeria Needs: Uncertainty
Companies generally prefer a stable environment to do business. Therefore, any uncertainty emanating from the possible change in contract terms signed with international oil companies could jeopardize investment in new ventures. With oil prices falling through the floor, Nigeria is already struggling. Any battles over revenue break-up from the fields could only magnify the problem. Worryingly, this might alienate the multinational firms that it so desperately needs to churn out the country’s most valuable commodity from its reserves.
- See more at: http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/193831/oil-majors-worried-as-nigeria-plans-to-review-contracts#sthash.6xShuOhO.dpuf
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