*Firm’s spokesperson mum about deal
Despite their damaging reputation as Indian fugitives, Sandesara brothers, (Nitin and Chetan) have been handed the oil exploration lease at the Kolmani field site located in Gombe and Bauchi States, by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) limited, investigation by QUEST TIMES reveals.
It would be recalled (according to the Hindustan Times report in February 2022) that two Sandesara brothers offered to bribe India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to drop criminal charges against them to facilitate their return to the country which they fled in 2017.
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But QUEST TIMES’ findings indicate that the Sandesara brothers, through their affiliates, have leveraged their relationship with both Nigeria’s national oil company (NNPC Limited) and New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC)–a company owned by the 19 northern states, to land the Kolmani oil exploration deal.
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In 2020, SEEPCO and NNPC signed a $600 million gas development deal. The duo equally signed off an agreement for the monetisation of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 143 in Abuja which NNPC says will help boost the country’s revenue accruals from gas.
In addition, NNPC has developed a partnership with the NNDC, which according to ThisDay, is a company owned by the 19 northern states, and the asset operator, Sterling Global, a Nigerian affiliate of the Sandesara Group.
This partnership, according to a source close to NNPC involves high-level “backend negotiations from the highest levels of government.”
Our source who has proven to be impeccable, said the NNDC prospecting was funded largely by Sterling Global and other Sandesara Group affiliates in Northern Nigeria.
The source revealed that the Sandesara Group earmarked a sum of USD$15 billion which was deployed initially in 2016 for oil prospecting in the North.
QUEST TIMES repeatedly reached out to Garba Deen Muhammad, Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division at NNPC, for his reactions. He neither picked up our correspondent’s calls nor responded to WhatsApp messages at the time of filing this report.
Seeking further clarifications, QUEST TIMES reached out to Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations (Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice) on the allegations of Malami’s involvement in the oil deal. He responded by saying “It is an axiomatic fact that can be said without any reservation that issues relating to the approval or otherwise of licence for drilling of oil fields are purely the affairs of petroleum ministry.”
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When QUEST TIMES probed further, Gwandu said “Abubakar Malami, SAN either as Attorney General of the Federation or as Minister of Justice has no statutory or policy mandate to that effect. How then could the name of Malami be mentioned in an attempt to procure an approval license for such a thing that he is not connected with?”
Sandesara brothers’ business deals, fugitive status
The Sandesara brothers, Nitin and Chetan, allegedly offered to bribe India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to drop criminal charges against them to facilitate their return to the country which they fled in 2017.
In Albania, the Sandesara brothers have managed to build considerable investments in the country despite their fugitive status. They are reportedly allowed to invest large sums of money in construction projects across the country. They have managed to do this due to their connections to key Albanian political figures, including President Ilir Meta (2013-17) who issued them with the country’s passports and citizenship while being Indian fugitives.
One of the Sandesara brothers, Nitin, was made an Albanian diplomat in Nigeria. He was fired in 2019 because his case “may damage the (country’s) image and reputation.” The brothers reportedly got their Albanian citizenship in 2018 due to investments in the country.
In Nigeria, they seem to have made friends with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, who is reportedly the most powerful in the Buhari government. Malami has on several occasions been described as a two-faced public official in handling matters of corruption thereby messing up his boss’ anti-corruption mantra. One of such cases was when the Nigerian government sued JP Morgan Chase for its involvement in the resolution agreement and subsequent payments made concerning the controversial award of OPL 245 to Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd.
The AGF was equally active during the Sandesara case when he famously turned down the Indian government’s request in 2019 saying it “appeared to be politically motivated” despite documentary evidence of their status as fugitives in India.
Nigeria’s foremost anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), opened an investigation on Malami over a tape recording where it was alleged that he exerted his influence to compromise high-profile corruption cases in the country.
In 2022, AGF Malami advised the Nigerian government to pay Global Steel Holdings Limited (a subsidiary of Sandesara group) over the disputed control of Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi state. Malami said the Nigerian government will pay the Sandesara group the sum of $496 million in a deal reached “under the alternative dispute resolution framework of the International Chamber of Commerce.”
Recall that the Federal Government had previously revoked the contract in 2008 and handed over control of the steelworks and the National Iron Ore Mining Company to Global Steel Holdings Limited. The Nigerian government said the terms of the contract were shady.
Analysts think that because India is yet to sign a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with Nigeria and Albania, getting them out of both countries to their home country would be difficult.
Other analysts think that Albania ruled by some conservative Muslims and the Sandesara brothers’ connections to some powerful powerbrokers in Nigeria may also make it difficult to repatriate the brothers back to India.
It appears to be no coincidence that the brothers prefer their local contacts to be Muslims. It is often argued that the Sandesara brothers are facing “serious political and economic persecution by India’s current government” as a result of their strong Islamic affiliations according to analysts – Lindita Çela and Ushinor Majumdar – with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Confluence Media respectively. This appears to be a view shared by their Albanian local contact Juljan “Lul” Morina, Nigeria’s AGF Malami and Sandesara group’s connection to Muslim-dominated Northern part of the country.