A former official of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, Paulinus Iheanacho Okoronkwo, has been sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment in the United States following his conviction for accepting a $2.1 million bribe from a Swiss oil company while serving at the state-owned oil firm. “A Los Angeles-area lawyer was sentenced today to 87 months in federal prison for receiving a $2.1 million bribe while serving as an officer of Nigeria’s state-owned oil company in connection with negotiating favourable drilling rights for a subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned oil company,” the statement read. Okoronkwo also allegedly omitted the $2.1 million from his 2015 federal income tax return, giving rise to the tax evasion charge. In June 2022, he obstructed justice by falsely telling federal investigators that the funds were client monies rather than income used for property purchases. Following the scandal, Okoronkwo was dismissed from NNPC (now NNPCL), and the State Bar of California suspended his law licence in January 2026.

Source: Punch February 27, 2026 05:23 UTC