An Ikeja Special Offences Court heard yesterday that all payments made by Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria Limited were made through Li...
An Ikeja Special Offences Court heard yesterday that all payments made by Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria Limited were made through Lionstone Offshore Services Nigeria Limited to Hercules Offshore Nigeria Limited in accordance with joint bidding agreement.
The first prosecution witness, Godwin Okon stated this during resumed proceedings in the charge of alleged theft of $4,666,234.28 brought against the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lionstone Offshore Services Limited, Amaechi Ndili, his wife who is the Vice President, Njide Chizoba Ndili and their company.
They are being prosecuted under a four count amended charge bordering on conspiracy to commit felony to wit: stealing, stealing by dishonest conversion and stealing by persons having an interest in the thing stolen by the Prosecution, ACP Simon Lough.
Okon was under cross examination by defence counsel, Ebun Shotunde (SAN).
The witness who was business analyst manager with Hercules Offshore Services insisted that the amount of the London arbitration award was made by the 1st defendant ( Ndili) and that he admitted that they were still owing part of the money due to Hercules.
He told the court that the amount outstanding with Lionstone Offshore Services was collated based on outstanding invoices and that the exchange rate of N155.26 to a dollar used in their calculations was obtained from the website of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as at the time under consideration.
He admitted that the bank account of the defendants were frozen by the Police following a complainant filed by the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Hercules Offshore Services, Todd Pennegiin against the defendants.
"When Hercules went to the Police, it was to report a case of fraudulent conversion by the defendant", he stated.
The witness, in respect to another question from the defense counsel insisted that they made documentations whenever Hercules deployed vessels.
Okon disagreed with the defense counsel that relationship between Hercules Offshore Services Nigeria Limited and Lionstone Offshore Services Limited broke down because of incompetence of the former.
He insisted: "Hercules Offshore Services Nigeria Limited was never incompetent in any way. Hercules Offshore deployed the five vessels effectively. The company was infact one of the best in the industry.
"It was when Lionstone Offshore refused to remit what was due to Hercules Offshore from Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria Limited that the relationship stopped", he insisted.
The Prosecution witness disagreed with the defense that Hercules Offshore Nigeria Services was a foreign company, insisting that it is a registered company in Nigeria.
Justice Abike-Fadipe stopped the counsel to the fourth defendant, Charles Obi from further cross examination of the PW1 as he failed to justify the relevance of his questions to issues raised against the third defendant.
She adjourned further hearing in the matter till May 16, 17, 18, 22 and 23.
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