Menezes spoke about the failure of one successful bidder to appear with its technical partner, about the ongoing probe - in which he was apparently questioned - being conducted by ExxonMobil/Anadarko stand-in R. Dobie Langenkamp of the Tulsa School of Law, and the sensitivity, difficulty and complexity of negotiations of Producstion Sharing Contracts for the five blocks currently on offer.
There was no mention of ERHC Energy in the interview, althought the exit of Noble Energy from the Noble/ERHC consortium than won the coveted Block 4 of the Nigeria-Sao Tome and Principe Joint Development Zone and the quick substitution of Addax Petroleum seemed to be addressed in his quite temperate remarks.
The newspaper interview was made possible by poster Homeport, a Portuguese-speaking observer of the West African region:
Posted by: Homeport
In reply to: None Date:11/16/2005 7:50:25 AM
Post #of 13608
STP News: FYI, Lisbon daily Diario de Noticias (DN) carries 2-pg interview today with President Fradique de Menezes apropos of islands’ 30th independence anniversary. I’ve translated the portions I think of most interest to ERHCers:
DN: When will a decision be taken (on the five blocks)?
FM: The decision already exists. The negotiations are now under way, as there are various phases. That’s why, when one makes comments, it’s necessary to be careful. In this phase, there’re still things that can be called into question. There are firms that can desist or the commission that is dealing with these issues could decide to cease negotiations with this or that group. There was, for example, a Nigerian group that formed a partnership with an Indian oil company and, when it came time to negotiate, only the Nigerians showed up. The commission asked them to bring the Indians because they were the ones that guaranteed the technical part. What I want to underline is that this kind of thing may still crop up and lead to the removal of a company that appeared to have won the deal.
x-x-x-x-x
DN: Much suspicion and many accusations have been made (about the awards process).
FM: Let me take this chance to disclose something. I want to be the first to do so, in part to conform to my personality: At this moment there is an American, a professor at a US university, who is helping the Attorney General’s office in discovering whether or not there was any corruption in this last auction of blocks.
DN: Is this good or bad?
FM: It’s good. That’s why I’m revealing it. This gentleman is there, he’s even interrogated people as if it were a court. No one escapes, not even the President of the Republic. From what I’ve been told, he’s even asking people if they have any information on the involvement of the President. So, we hope that if there’s been any wrongdoing. Now, there are many accusations, many complaints that go to investigation, others go to courts and, then, nothing is cleared up. Months go by, other matters arise that divert our attention, and one never again hears about the issue. There you have it.
….Cases get put away in drawers. This shouldn’t be the case.
x-x-x-x-x
On other issues of interest:
- Menezes confirms STP has gotten its 40% share of B-1 sig bonus;
- Declines to confirm, but indicates he will stand for re-election next year and that he wants a referendum on power-sharing system ahead of the vote; and
- Says future oil revenues should be used as “lever” to diversify the economy – especially tourism, fisheries, agriculture and service sectors.
Bests,
Homeport
France's Agence France-Presse followed up with an ill-written story based on the Portugal interview:
Sao Tome president says under investigation in oil corruption probe
The president of the west African island nation of Sao Tome and Principe said Wednesday he is under investigation as part of a probe into alleged corruption in the attribution of oil prospecting blocks in an offshore zone shared with Nigeria.
Legal authorities in the former Portuguese colony began in September to look into claims that certain oil firms were illegally favoured in the process, which was delayed for months amid a dispute between President Fradique de Menezes and opposition groups.
"No one escapes, not even the president. From what I have been told, they have been asking people if they have information about the involvement of the president," de Menezes told Portuguese daily newspaper Diario de Noticias.
"There are many accusations, many complaints that are investigated, some go to trial, and then no wrongdoing is found," he added.
The blocks were allocated in June for a total of 283 million dollarsmillion euros) to be shared 60-40 between Nigeria and Sao Tome.
A US-registered Nigerian-funded company, EHRC Energy Inc, was the main beneficiary, with shares in each block ranging from 15 to 65 percent.
De Menezes said a US university professor, who he did not name, was helping Sao Tome's attorney general office carry out their probe.
"This man is there, he was questioned people as if it was a court," he said.
The tiny archipelago is home to fewer than 200,000 people and has yet to feel the results of an expected oil boom, while Nigeria's 130-million-strong population still languishes in poverty more than four decades after their country became Africa's biggest exporter of crude.
16/11/2005 14:50 LISBON (AFP)
http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=africa&item=051116145056.f7a24sxq.php
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