Ex-NNPC boss Paulinus Okoronkwo jailed in U.S over $2.1 Million bribe

A U.S. federal court has sentenced Paulinus Okoronkwo, former general manager of the upstream division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), to seven years and three months in prison for receiving a $2.1 million bribe in exchange for negotiating favourable drilling rights for a Chinese-owned oil company subsidiary.

The 58-year-old lawyer, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United States, was also ordered to pay $923,824 in restitution to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and to forfeit $1,039,997, proceeds from the sale of a home linked to the laundering of the bribe money, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ).

Investigations revealed that in October 2015, Addax Petroleum, a Switzerland-based subsidiary of Sinopec, wired the $2,105,263 payment into an Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA) held by Okoronkwo’s Los Angeles law firm. The payment was presented as consulting fees for helping Addax settle a drilling agreement with the NNPC.

The DoJ described the engagement as a ruse designed to disguise a bribe. “Addax calculated that it stood to lose billions of dollars if its favourable drilling rights were not secured. The engagement letter, signed with Okoronkwo’s law office under a fake Lagos address, was intended to conceal the illegal payment,” the statement said.

To cover up the bribery, Addax falsely characterized the $2.1 million as legal fees, misled auditors, and fired executives who questioned the payment’s propriety. Okoronkwo subsequently channeled the funds through IPO Capital LLC, using them for family expenses, a car, and a home in Valencia, California.

The DoJ further noted that Okoronkwo failed to declare the bribe as income on his 2015 federal tax return and obstructed justice in 2022 by lying to federal investigators about the source and use of the funds.

In January 2026, the State Bar of California suspended Okoronkwo’s law licence, following his conviction.

The case underscores the U.S. government’s vigilance in prosecuting international bribery schemes affecting Nigerian resources, highlighting the importance of transparency and accountability in global oil transactions.

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