Noose Tightens On Troubled Oil Baron, Jide Omokore In $1.6bn Fraud Case

The turbulence decorating his world is not yet over.

Far from it and it appears to be getting worse for troubled oil baron Jide Omokore.

One of the strings that is being used to tighten the legal noose around his neck just became taut.

Emerging details have it one of the evidences that would have provided him a bit of leeway has been rejected by the court.

Justice Dimgba of the Federal High Court ruled that a copy of the speech delivered by minister of state for petroleum resources Ibe Kachikwu tendered as exhibit by prosecutor inadmissible.

The court declared that the document, which was downloaded from the website of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and presented by his lawyers did not meet the requirements of Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011 according to information sourced from punch.

Omokore – and his two companies, Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Limited – is currently facing trial for diversion of $1.6bn proceeds of crude oil along with a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, Victor Briggs; a former Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production of the NNPC, Abiye Membere; and a former Manager, Planning and Commercial of the NNPC, David Mbanefo.

The rejected document sought to explain some of the funds he allegedly defrauded.