Posted by By Sesan Afolabi on
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has raided the Lagos office of German telecommunications multinational, Siemens AG, in connection with the alleged payment of bribes to some former Nigerian public officers by its officials.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has raided the Lagos office of German telecommunications multinational, Siemens AG, in connection with the alleged payment of bribes to some former Nigerian public officers by its officials.
The German firm said in a statement obtained on Friday that the raid was conducted in connection with the alleged illegal payments made between 2002 and 2005.
Our correspondent gathered that the EFCC, which paid its first visit to the company in December, has since paid other visits to the place. Ever since the EFCC has conducted checks on the documents relating to the transactions. The firm is being investigated in Nigeria, United States, Israel, Norway, Libya, Russia and France for the alleged involvement of its officials in illegal payments to public officials and irregularities in contract awards.
The EFCC's spokesman, Mr. Osita Nwajah, confirmed that the agency searched the firm's offices as part of an ongoing investigation. Speaking on the telephone on Friday, Nwajah said, 'We have been there in company with their lawyers and each time our men were cordial and respectful. We usually go there to check some of their documents and nothing more than that. Nobody has complained about the conduct of our men."
On what the commission had found out so far, Nwajah said he was not at liberty to say. He also declined to state when the issue would reach trial stage.
The United Nations is also probing the company for its activities in Pakistan.
In October 2007, it agreed to pay a court-ordered fine of 201million euros related to bribe payments in Nigeria, Russia and Libya and also reached a settlement with German authorities to pay 179million euros in taxes after questionable payments of 449million euros at the communications unit were determined to be non-deductible.
Already, Nigeria and Norway have suspended business with the firm over the corruption probes. The firm allegedly paid bribes worth over 10million euros to four former communications ministers -Chief Cornelius Adebayo, Dr. Mohammed Bello, the late Chief Haruna Elewi, Maj-Gen Tajudeen Olanrewaju, officials of the Nigerian Telecommuncations Limited, Nigeria Immigration Service, Senator Jubril Aminu and some other unnamed political office-holders.
Norway's Department of Defence has also cut ties with Siemens over claims that the firm paid for golf trips in 2003 and 2004 for officials of the ministry.