DOJ Recovers Over $53 Million From 2 FCPA Cases

DOJ announced the resolution of two civil cases in a Texas district court on March 27 in which the government recovered around $53.1 million, including a promissory note worth $16 million, that played a part in a bribery scheme in Nigeria that violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The $53.1 million mark represented the "net liquidated value" of assets taken from Nigerian businessmen Kolawole Akanni Aluko and Olajide Omokore.

From 2011 to 2015, Aluko and Omokore conspired with others to bribe Nigeria's former petroleum resources minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who oversaw Nigeria's state-owned oil company. In return for the bribes, Alison-Madueke gave contracts to companies owned by the two businessmen, DOJ said, and the proceeds from the contracts surpassed $100 million. This money was laundered through the U.S. to buy luxury real estate in California and New York, a 65-meter "superyacht" called the Galactica Star and other "assets."

The civil cases, one against the real estate and the other against the yacht, officially concluded with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas granting a joint motion for forfeiture judgment against the yacht (United States v. The M/Y Galactica Star, S.D. Tex. # 4:17-02166) (United States v. Real Property Located in Los Angeles, Calif., Commonly Known as 755 Sarbonne Road, Los Angeles, CA 90077, S.D. Tex. # 4:20-02524).