Scholar Says Probe Of Block 4 Concluded With No Charges

The Lisbon-based I-Hub poster Homeport, whose translations from the original Portuguese are invariably accurate and always appreciated, has reported on a note to the Sao Tome message board on Yahoo - where ERHC On The Move has been a member, but not a recent visitor, since May 2003 - by scholar Gerhard Seibert, who says that the ExxonMobil/Anadarko-sponsored probe of the award of Block 4 has been concluded with an unfinished report. We have provided the original note and our own translation below.

The probe, drawing on funds from Pioneer NRC investor George Soros' Earth Institute, was aimed at getting Anadarko and ExxonMobil control of Block 4, which they had failed to win fairly during the bidding competition known as the 2004 Licensing Round conducted by the Nigeria-Sao Tome and Principe Joint Development Authority, overseers of nine choice oil blocks in the Gulf of Guinea's Joint Development Zone.

The probe was conducted by R. Dobie Langenkamp of the National Environmental-Energy Law & Policy Institute at the University of Tulsa School of Law, whose advisory board includes 10 ExxonMobil in-house lawyers and six Anadarko house counsel, but none representing ERHC Energy or Noble Energy, which won operatorship of the block with ERHC Energy but beat a hasty retreat during the probe.

The report that was expected at the end of the probe was apparently delivered with no conclusion due to non-cooperation by the Nigerian government, which was apparently not impressed by the effort to overturn the awards of the Nigeria-DRSTP
Joint Ministerial Council. Despite intense pressure, Nigerian authorities never capitulated to demands from the giant multinationals who sought a back door to gain control of the block.

Gerhard Seibert is a respected, liberal Sao Tome scholar who has written extensive reports for various well-known NGOs on the "oil curse," the corruption and political favoritism that has left nations abundantly blessed with oil royalties as poor as they were before the awards.

Here is Seibert's note, in the original Portuguese, followed by my word-for-word translation:

From: Gerhard Seibert
Date: Wed Dec 7, 2005 4:05 pm
Subject: Relatório do PGR entregue aos orgãos da soberania mailseibert
(Subject: Report of the Procurador General to the organs of sovereignty)
Olá a todos,

Segundo informações dignas de crédito, o relatório da
investigação nas alegadas anomalias e irregularidades
durante o processo da atribuição dos cinco blocos da
JDZ, em Abril/Maio passado, efectuada pelo PGR Adelino
Pereira com a assistência do perito Dobie Langenkamp
da Tulsa University (EUA) foi concluído é entregue ao
PR Fradique, governo e Assembleia Nacional.

Esta investigação foi realizada a pedido da Comissão
dos Assuntos Petrolíferos da Assembleia Nacional,
chefiada pelo deputado Carlos Neves (MDFM/PCD) que é
igualmente vice-presidente da AN.

Um pedido do PGR A.Pereira ao seu homólogo nigeriano
de continuar a investigação na Nigéria não teve resposta nenhuma.

Abraço

Gerhard


Replies Author Date
13210 Re: [São Tomé e Príncipe] Relatório do PGR entregue aos
Caso para dizer que a questao de petroleo em Sao Tome vai dar panos-p'ra-manga.... forro forro
forro005
7:04 am

Ola a Todos,
Hello to All:

Segundo informações dignas de crédito, o relatório da investigação nas alegadas anomalias e irregularidades durante o processo da atribuição dos cinco blocos da JDZ, em Abril/Maio passado, efectuada pelo PGR Adelino Pereira com a assistência do perito Dobie Langenkamp da Tulsa University (EUA) foi concluído é entregue ao PR Fradique, governo e Assembleia Nacional.

According to credible information, the report on the investigation of the alleged anomalies and irregularities during the process of the allocation of five blocks of the JDZ, in April/May past, conducted by Procurador General Adelino Pereira with the assistance of professor Dobie Langenkamp of Tulsa University has been concluded and sent to the President, Fradique [de Menezes], the government and the National Assembly.

Esta investigação foi realizada a pedido da Comissão dos Assuntos Petrolíferos da Assembleia Nacional, chefiada pelo deputado Carlos Neves (MDFM/PCD) que é igualmente vice-presidente da AN.

This investigation was done at the request of the Commission on Petroleum Affairs of the National Assembly, headed by Delegate Carlos Neves (MDM/PCD), who is the Vice President of the National Assembly.

Um pedido do PGR A.Pereira ao seu homólogo nigeriano de continuar a investigação na Nigéria não teve resposta nenhuma.

A request by Procurador General Pereira to his Nigerian counterpart to continue the investigation in Nigeria has never received a response.

Abraço
Hugs

Gerhard