The Digest:
A United States district court has sentenced Paulinus Okoronkwo, a former senior executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), to 87 months in federal prison over a $2.1 million bribery scheme linked to Chinese oil company Sinopec. Okoronkwo, who served as general manager in NNPC's upstream division, was convicted of transactional money laundering, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice. The $2.1 million transfer, wired in October 2015 to his law firm trust account in Los Angeles, was falsely presented as consultancy fees but was intended to secure favourable drilling rights in Nigeria. Nearly $1 million from the bribe was used as a down payment for a home in Valencia, California. The court ordered $923,824 restitution to the IRS and forfeiture of $1,039,997 representing proceeds from the property sale. Okoronkwo was found guilty in August 2025 following a federal trial in California.
Key Points:
- The 87-month sentence sends strong message against cross-border corruption.
- It demonstrates US commitment to prosecuting foreign bribery cases.
- Nigerian assets in US are forfeited, while victim country awaits accountability.
- This signals the long arm of US law in energy sector corruption.
- The timing, with property forfeiture, ensures financial penalty.
Sources: Daily Trust, US District Court
