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Ex-NNPC official Paulinus Okoronkwo convicted in US over $2.1m bribe.
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He faces up to 35 years imprisonment, sentencing set for December 1.
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FBI and IRS led the investigation with Justice Department support.
United States District Court has convicted Los Angeles-based Nigerian lawyer, Paulinus Okoronkwo, for receiving a $2.1 million bribe from a Chinese oil company to influence drilling rights in Nigeria.
Okoronkwo, 58, widely known as “Pollie,” was found guilty on three counts of money laundering, one count of tax evasion, and one count of obstruction of justice. The verdict was delivered on August 29 after a four-day trial in California.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that prosecutors told the court that in October 2015, while serving as General Manager of the upstream division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC, now NNPC Ltd.), Okoronkwo collected the bribe from Addax Petroleum, a Swiss subsidiary of Chinese state-owned oil giant Sinopec. The money was wired to a trust account under his Los Angeles law firm, disguised as consultancy fees.
“The agreement was nothing more than a sham to conceal a bribe,” prosecutors argued, noting that Addax sought to protect crude oil drilling rights in Nigeria worth billions of dollars. Evidence further revealed that Addax dismissed executives who questioned the deal and lied during an audit to cover up the transaction.
Court records showed that in November 2017, Okoronkwo used $983,200 from the illicit funds as a down payment for a home in Valencia, California. He also failed to declare the payment on his 2015 tax returns. When confronted by federal agents in 2022, he falsely claimed the funds belonged to a client.
US District Judge John F. Walter has scheduled sentencing for December 1, 2025. Okoronkwo faces:
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Up to 10 years in prison for each money laundering charge
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Up to 10 years for obstruction of justice
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Up to five years for tax evasion
This brings his possible jail term to a maximum of 35 years. He remains free on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
The case was jointly investigated by the FBI and the IRS Criminal Investigation, with support from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
The prosecution team included Assistant US Attorneys Alexander Schwab, Deputy Chief Nisha Chandran, and Alexander Su of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section.
