Malabu Scandal: Documents show British executive received money from Etete

Fresh details have shown a British executive as a recipient of millions of pounds from the multi-billion dollar Malabu oil deal.

Peter Bosworth and trading firm, Arcadia Petroleum, have been named in multiple court documents as among the recipients of funds from the deal, documents obtained by Finance Uncovered, and The Times, have reported.

The Malabu deal is the subject of criminal proceedings in Milan, Italy. Two middlemen have been convicted in one case, while Shell and Eni, two multinationals at the centre of the controversial deal, as well as some of their officials are also being prosecuted.

The deal is also the subject of civil action in the United Kingdom (UK), where Nigeria has filed a High Court claim against the oil multinationals and JP Morgan, the bank through which the funds were diverted.

Shell, Eni, some of their ex-officials and two former Nigerian ministers, Chief Dan Etete and Mohammed Adoke, are also being prosecuted in Nigeria for their roles in the scandal.

Etete was former Petroleum Affairs Minister and Adoke, former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.

Adoke, through his lawyers, spoke of plans to seek judicial protection, as according to him, whatever transpired while he forte the fault, was official.

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Finance Uncovered found that 55-year-old Bosworth and Arcadia Petroleum have been named as having together received $16 million originating from the deal.

The Malabu scandal involved the transfer of about $1.1 billion by oil multinationals, Shell and ENI, through the Nigerian government to accounts controlled by Etete.

From accounts controlled by Etete, about half the money ($520 million) went to the accounts of companies jointly controlled by Abubakar Aliyu, popularly known in Nigeria as the owner of AA oil, and Mr Etete.

Anti-corruption investigators and activists suspect Mr Aliyu fronted for top officials in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, as well of officials of Shell and ENI.

The transaction was allegedly authorised in 2011 by Dr. Jonathan through some of his cabinet ministers, and the money was payment for OPL 245, one of Nigeria’s richest oil blocks.

Although Shell and ENI initially claimed they did not know the money would end up with Etete and his cronies, evidence has shown that claim to be false.

Shell later admitted it did know the money would go to government officials.

Shell, Eni, Etete, Aliyu and several officials of the oil firms are being prosecuted in Italy for their roles in the scandal.