The Department of
State Security, popularly referred to as SSS, has finally concluded
investigations into the controversial N6 billion contract for the procurement
of six K38 patrol boats for the Nigeria Army and submitted a report of its
findings to President Goodluck Jonathan. The President recently ordered
investigations into allegations of fraud levelled by one of the contractors
awarded the boat contracts.
The presidential directive came on the heels of a petition dated
October 12, 2012, entitled: “Conspiracy, fraud, supervision & compromising
of Nigeria’s National Security and Official Corruption in the award and
execution of National Security and defence projects in Nigeria by a group of
Jews operating under many guises with the active connivance and involvement of
a few unpatriotic Nigerians government officials and businessmen.”
The petition signed by one Hassan Rabiu, Managing Director of
Hypertech (UK) Ltd, who is said to enjoy the backing of a former National
Security Adviser (NSA), fingered two firms owned by two Israelis, among others.
According to the petition, sometime in 2007, the Ministry of Defence awarded a
contract to Dolyatec to supply 20 units of the K38 patrol boats to the Nigeria
Army at the cost of over N6 billion. The company allegedly collected 80 percent
of the total contract sum and supplied only eight units of the boats without
supplying the balance of 12 boats.
According to the petition, Hypertech CEO, in November 2011,
was introduced to TP Marine B.V, manufacturers of the boat, by the firm’s
original agent, Mr. ZVi Turbo of Shval Saar Limited. TP Marine,
Hypetech’s MD claimed in his petition, expressed its willingness to sell the
remaining 12 unpaid boats at auction price to offset its banking
obligation. In the face of the deadlock, Hypertech got
government’s nod to supply the remaining boats but at the point of payment,
another dispute arose as to the real owners of the company.
While Hassan Rabiu is laying claim to Hypertech (UK) Ltd,
another person, Mohammed Mustapha, claimed to be the original owner of the
company. Saturday Sun gathered authoritatively that after weeks of
investigations and interrogations of all named suspects by SSS operatives, a
damning report that indicted virtually all parties to the dispute was prepared
and endorsed to President Jonathan by the SSS. Beyond fingering some of the
parties to the dispute, the report also recommended that “they be made to
refund the funds already collected for which no boat has been supplied or
charged to court for criminal diversion of public funds.”
A top security source privy to the content of the report said:
“None of them was spared, including those that have even gone public to
celebrate that the SSS has cleared them. They will be shocked whenever Mr.
President directs implementation of the report.” When asked what is delaying
the implementation of the report, the source said: “Mr. President has already
minuted it out to an appropriate authority to review and act on, but another
leg was added to the whole controversy when it was discovered, through a
separate discreet investigation on one of the principal actors, that his claim
that a sitting governor of his home state was a beneficiary of a meteorological
radar equipment contract was a lie because the governor has denied getting any
contract from his organisation when he held sway there. So, more things are
coming out beyond the scope of the initial probe.”
Those that had already been interrogated by the SSS in
connection to the boat contract probe include the petitioner, Hassan Rabiu; his
estranged business partner, Mustapha Mohammed; two Israeli security
consultants, Shay Tal and David Maman as well as top shots of the recently
dissolved Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Security (PICOMSS),
among others.
Source: Sun
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