FG Unravels P&ID Fraud as Associates Plead Guilty

• FG Unravels P&ID Fraud as Associates Plead Guilty

The Federal High Court in Abuja has pronounced two representatives of Process and Industrial Development Ltd (P&ID) guilty after they pleaded guilty to fraud and tax evasion levied against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday in Abuja.

The EFCC had dragged P&ID (Virgin Island), represented by Mohammad Kuchazi, Commercial Director, and P&ID Nigeria Limited, represented by Adamu Usman, a lawyer before the Federal High court for fraud, tax evasion and other charges.

Mohammad Kuchazi was represented by his lawyer Dandison Akurunwua, while Usman, represented himself.

The two representatives pleaded guilty to the eleven count charges read to them before Justice Inyang Ekwo in Abuja on Thursday.

The two were accused of fraudulently claiming they acquired land from the Cross River State Government in 2010 for the gas supply project that led to the $9.6 billion judgement, one of the key documents used by the British Commerce court in its judgement.

In August, a British commerce court awarded P&ID $9.6 billion against the Federal Government of Nigeria for failing to honour an agreed contract after P&ID had acquired land and spent money on other necessary facilities needed to execute the contract as agreed.

However, the EFCC has now discovered that no land was acquired as stated in the documents filed against Nigeria and that even the contract was not properly documented.

The documents of the controversial contract were admitted by the judge as exhibits without objection from the defence.

Justice Inyang Ekwo then went on to pronounce the two firms represented by Usman and Kuchazi guilty.