Paulinus Okoronkwo sentencing set for Dec 1 in US after conviction for \$2.1m bribery, money laundering, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice

Paulinus Okoronkwo sentencing has been fixed for December 1 in the United States, following his conviction for receiving a $2.1 million bribe while serving as a senior official of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).

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Okoronkwo, 58, a former general manager in the NNPC’s upstream department, now faces up to 25 years in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of three counts of money laundering, one count of tax evasion, and one count of obstruction of justice.

The U.S. Department of Justice disclosed that the bribe was paid in October 2015 by Addax Petroleum, a Switzerland-based subsidiary of Sinopec, into his law firm’s account under the guise of a consultancy agreement.

Prosecutors said the engagement letter used in the deal carried a fake Lagos address and was intended to conceal the bribe, which secured more favourable drilling rights in Nigeria.

Investigations further revealed that Okoronkwo used nearly \$1 million of the funds to make a down payment on a Valencia home in 2017, while omitting the \$2.1 million from his 2015 federal tax returns.

He was also found guilty of lying to investigators in 2022 about the source and use of the money.

According to the DoJ, he faces a maximum of 10 years for each of the money laundering counts, 10 years for obstruction of justice, and five years for tax evasion. United States District Judge John F. Walter will preside over sentencing.

The scandal, which surfaced shortly before the end of President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure in 2015, also drew public attention when former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad revealed on social media that Okoronkwo was dismissed by the NNPC after his indictment.