US Court Slams $2.1 Million Bribe Charges on Former Nigerian Oil Official

A US court has sentenced former Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) official Paulinus Okoronkwo to 87 months in federal prison for receiving a $2.1 million bribe linked to oil drilling rights in Nigeria.

Okoronkwo, a dual US-Nigerian citizen, previously headed NNPC’s Upstream Division, overseeing the country’s oil and gas operations.

In August 2025, a jury found him guilty of three counts of transactional money laundering, one count of tax evasion, and one count of obstruction of justice. The court also ordered $923,824 in restitution to the IRS and the forfeiture of $1,039,997 linked to a house purchased with the illicit funds.

Court filings reveal that in 2015, Addax Petroleum, a Swiss subsidiary of Sinopec, paid Okoronkwo’s Los Angeles law firm $2.1 million under the guise of consultancy fees. Prosecutors said the payment was a bribe disguised as legal fees, with a fake Lagos address on the engagement letter.

Investigators reported that Okoronkwo used the funds for personal expenses, including family costs, cars, and property. He also failed to declare the money on his 2015 federal tax return and misled federal investigators in 2022, claiming the funds were client monies.

The case was investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation, with support from the US Department of Justice. In January 2026, Okoronkwo’s law license was suspended by the State Bar of California.