P&ID: James Nolan, Briton who jumped bail, fails to call witness in ‘$9.6bn fraud’ case

James Nolan, a British national, has opened his defence in the money laundering suit brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

At the court session on  Monday, Michael Ajara, Nolan’s counsel, told Donatus Okorowo, presiding judge, that he would not be calling any witness to testify in defence of his client.

Ajara said he would be relying on the evidence put forward by the anti-graft agency.

Bala Sanga, EFCC counsel, did not object to Ajara’s submission.

The judge adjourned the matter until February 15 for the adoption of final written addresses.

In August 2020, the EFCC arraigned Nolan, a director in the Process and Industrial Development Limited (P&ID), alongside Lurgi Consult Limited and others, in a $9.6 billion money laundering case.

Nolan was granted bail by the court but failed to appear in court for trial.

In September 2022, a federal high court in Abuja revoked the bail and issued a bench warrant for Nolan’s arrest.

Since then, the accused has been tried in absentia. 

In October, the EFCC opened its case against the defendant.

P&ID CASE

P&ID had agreed with Nigeria in 2010 to build a gas processing plant in Calabar, Cross River state, but the company said the deal collapsed because the Nigerian government did not fulfil its end of the bargain.

Claiming Nigeria breached the terms of the contract, P&ID took a legal recourse and secured an arbitral award against the country.

On January 31, 2017, a tribunal ruled that Nigeria should pay P&ID $6.6 billion as damages, as well as pre-and post-judgment interest at 7 percent. With interest, the money grew to $11 billion.

However, on October 23, Robin Knowles, justice of the Commercial Courts of England and Wales, upheld Nigeria’s prayer on the ground that the award was obtained by fraud.