Ambroise Orjiako was a major adviser to Dan Etete in the infamous Malabu incident, in which the Nigerian government controversially awarded Mr Etete a profitable oil field, which he sold to Shell and Eni and split the revenues with certain high government officials.
According to new court papers, Mr Orjiako, the chairman of Nigeria's largest publicly traded oil and gas business, participated in many meetings between Mr Etete, Shell, and Eni between 2009 and 2011, when they discussed the sum to be paid to Mr Etete for Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245.
Mr. Orjiako, who previously commanded Shebah Petroleum, assisted in the organization of at least one of these meetings, informing Shell representatives that the attorney general at the time, Mohammed Adoke, was eager to meet with them to advance the talks.
On October 6, 2009, he attended a meeting with Mr. Etete, Umaru Bature (a former member of the House of Representatives who, according to prosecutors, represented the interests of Aliyu Gusau, the former National Security Adviser), Peter Robinson (Shell's commercial vice president for Sub-Saharan Africa), and Guy Colegate (senior business advisor of Shell International Exploration & Production) where OPL 245 was discussed.
In the end, Mr. Orjiako's firm, Helko Nigeria Ltd., received $2.2 million from the treasure.
The information was gleaned from records filed by Agip, a subsidiary of Eni, an Italian oil firm, in a US court and received by our source.
For this story, Mr. Orjiako could not be reached. Seplat, his firm, did not reply to phone inquiries or email messages.
Connection to Abacha
The Malabu affair began in 1998, when Mr. Etete was the energy minister under Sani Abacha.
They grabbed the OPL 245 alongside the kleptocrat tyrant and granted it to Malabu, a business founded by Mr Etete and Mr Abacha's son.
After Mr Abacha's death, Mr Etete took over the enterprise, and the ownership of the block and the corporation remained a source of contention for years, with the Olusegun Obasanjo government canceling the award at one point, sparking court fights.
Mr Etete was finally recognized as the block's owner by the Jonathan administration, which assisted in the $1.3 billion sale of the block to Shell and Eni. According to court papers, Mr Etete and key cabinet members in the administration split the windfall. Shell and Eni, as well as their executives, have been prosecuted in Europe for their participation in the deal.
While Mr Orjiako was known to have ties to the Malabu case, which our source has been reporting on for years, it was unclear what role he played until today.
Mr. Orjiako revealed last week that he will leave the board of directors of Seplat Energy in May 2022.
Seplat Enthusiasm's board of directors praised him for his "strategic vision, passion, and boundless energy."
"The previous 12 years at Seplat Energy have been fantastic for me," Mr Orjiako remarked. As chairman, I am happy that Seplat Energy's board of directors, management, and whole workforce have achieved multiple impressive milestones and exceptional achievements.
"Notable achievements include the purchase of eight oil and gas properties, the expansion of the Oben and development of the ANOH gas facilities, and the business's dual listing on the Nigerian and London Stock Exchanges, a first for a Nigerian corporation."
"While there were obstacles along the road, we were able to overcome them thanks to God's unique grace, the exceptional performance and professionalism of each member of the board and management, and the tireless efforts of our team."
"Until I step away from the board at the next AGM, I will continue to devote my whole energy and devotion to the firm."
Etete's counsel
Mr Orjiako's entrée into the Malabu discussions as an adviser to Mr Etete, according to new papers, was aided by his previous relationship with Shell executives who trusted him.
He was present at sessions when the sum due Mr Etete was discussed.
One meeting discussed returning to a 1998/99 agreement in which Shell operated as Malabu's technical partner in exchange for a 40% stake in the oil field. Shell would then compensate Mr. Etete for his 40% stake in the company.
According to the court filing, the oil company asked that its payout take into account the monies it had previously spent on the field (exploration and signing bonuses totaling $600 million).
When Mr Etete turned down Shell's original $300 million offer, the discussions came to a halt. Other investors were interested in the oil block, according to Mr Etete, who conducted separate negotiations with Eni. He turned down Eni's offer as well.
"Etete requested that Shell calculate the amount they would pay for the 40% farm-in. "We made it clear that after deducting current expenditures, the amount would be very low, and almost probably much below what he was aiming for," one Shell executive stated in an email.
"Etete, on the other hand, is eager for us to specify a sum so that we may begin negotiating.... We promised to go back and work on it and get back to him in a few weeks - but with the caveat that Shell's internal processes may cause this to take a bit longer."
Mr Orjiako promised Shell executives that Mr Etete would accept a greater offer at this time.
The attorney general, Mr Adoke, met with all sides, including Shell, Eni, and Malabu, to try to break the impasse, according to the documents.
"The following people took part: Peter Robinson (Regional Vice President), German Burmeister (Commercial Manager), and Keibi Atemie (Legal) for Shell; Chief Seidu Munamuna (Board Director), Rasky Gbinigie (Company Secretary) for Malabu, with Alhaji Abubaker Aliyu, Femi Akinmade, and ABC Orjiako as consultants. R. Casula, V. Armanna, G. Zappalà, E. Caligaris are in constant touch with the departments at ENI's headquarters, according to the paper.
Mr. Adoke stated that he had President Jonathan's authority to handle any concerns and requested that all parties create a resolution. He pledged that when the corporations had signed, he would get the finance and petroleum ministries to sign the deal.
Mr Adoke later rejected Shell's suggestion in the draft agreement to pay the revised agreed-upon price only once the block's license was issued. Shell argued that it couldn't do anything else, resulting in yet another deadlock.
Mr. Orjiako was instrumental in arranging a second meeting, informing Shell representatives that the attorney general was eager to meet and continue discussions.
Shell later agreed to pay at the time of signing the deal, rather than waiting for a license to be issued.
Mr Orjiako's company, Helko Nigeria Limited, was eventually paid $2,208,201.90 from the Malabu funds. According to corporate registration records obtained the source, the real estate and property corporation was established in 1997 as a subsidiary of Ordrec Group Limited. Mr. Orjiako and his wife, Chioma Orjiako, were the two directors.
