The indicted individuals will be facing 7 years and 20 years jail terms and to refund N304bn which was allegedly stolen from the Federation account.
These charged were filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission yesterday against the first set of the 18 suspects comprising six oil companies and 12 individuals indicted in the oil subsidy scam. The indicted firms that will be facing different charges in relation to the scam are: Nasaman Oil Services; Eterna Oil and Gas Plc; Contario Oil & Gas Plc; Nadabo Energy Limited; Pacific Silver Line Limited, Axenergy Limited and Fago Petroleum and Gas Limited.
"The 12 individuals involved in the scam are: Mamman Nasir Ali; Christian Taylor; Mahmud Tukur; Ochonogor Alex; Walter Wagbatsoma; Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi; Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer; Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele; Abubakar Ali Peters; Jude Agube Abalaka, Abdulahi Alao and Oluwaseun Ogunbanbo.
"Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele is director of the accounting firm, Akintola Williams Deliote while Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer is a staff of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulating Agency, PPPRA."
Out of the suspects, the EFCC said Abdulahi Alao will face double trial, making the number of suspects to be 20.
But Alao will however be docked in another separate charge.
The statement gave the details of findings against the suspects, especially how they purportedly imported over 237million litres of petroleum products and benefited from fuel subsidy.
"Nasaman Oil Services; Mamman Nasir and Christian Taylor are to face charges bordering on obtaining N4, 460, 130, 797. 94billion from the Federal Government of Nigeria under false pretence.
"The sum is alleged to have been fraudulently obtained as subsidy payments from the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported importation of 30.5million litres of Premium Motor Spirit from SEATAC Petroleum Limited of British Virgin Islands .
"In the same vein, the anti-graft agency will equally prosecute Abdulahi Alao and Axenergy Limited for allegedly obtaining the sum of N2, 640, 141, 707.75billion being payments received from the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported importation of 33.3 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.
"Others include Mahmud Tukur, Ochonogor Alex; Abdulahi Alao and Eternal Oil And Gas Plc who will be docked for fraudulently obtaining the sum of N1, 899, 238, 946. 02billion from the Petroleum support Fund for a purported importation of 80.3million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.
"Also, Nadabo Energy Limited, Abubakar Ali Peters, Jude Agube Abalaka and Pacific Silver Line Limited are to be prosecuted for allegedly obtaining the sum of N1, 464, 961, 978.24billion being payments fraudulently received from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 19.4million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.
"Walter Wagbatsoma; Adaoha Ugo -Ngadi; Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer; Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele and Ontario Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited will be arraigned for fraudulently obtaining the sum of N1, 959, 377, 542, .63billion from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 39.2 litres of Premium Motor Spirit.
"Lastly, Fago Petroleum and Gas Limited and Oluwaseun Ogunbanbo are to be docked for fraudulently obtaining the sum of N979,653,110.20million from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 33, 627, 84 litres of Premium Motor Spirit."
The EFCC assured that more suspects will be arraigned periodically.
The statement added: "The 20 suspects are among the over 140 individuals and organisations involved in the on- going investigations into the subsidy payments by the EFCC.
"More suspects will be arraigned periodically as the investigation progresses.
"This investigation is massive and extensive; and the Commission wishes to reassure Nigerians that every effort will be made to bring all those who defrauded the country in the guise of subsidy for imported fuel to book. "
The House Ad Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy had recommended that some oil marketers and top officials of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) should be investigated and prosecuted by anti-graft agencies.
According to the report, those to be probed by anti-graft agencies (now only EFCC) are 121 oil marketers as follows:
· 17 marketers that did not obtain FOREX but claimed to have imported petroleum products.
· 15 marketers who obtained FOREX but did not import petroleum products.
· 71 oil marketers to face probe and refund N230.1billion
· 18 oil marketers committed other infractions.
President Goodluck Jonathan had on May 21 referred the Fuel Subsidy Report to the EFCC for further investigation and criminal trial of culpable ones.
The anti-graft agency said it is probing 140 of such cases.
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