U.S. court jails former NNPC executive for 87 months over $2.1 million bribery scheme
A United States federal court has sentenced Paulinus Iheanacho Okoronkwo, a former top executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), to 87 months in prison for his involvement in a major bribery and money laundering scheme linked to oil contracts in Nigeria.
Okoronkwo, 58, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United States, was convicted in August 2025 in the Central District of California on multiple charges, including money laundering, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice.
Court documents reveal that in October 2015, Okoronkwo received $2.1 million from Addax Petroleum, a Switzerland-based subsidiary of Chinese energy giant Sinopec, into a trust account at his Los Angeles law firm. Prosecutors said the payment, disguised as consultancy fees, was a bribe intended to help the company secure favourable drilling rights while he served as General Manager of the Upstream Division at NNPC, a position that made him a foreign public official with fiduciary duties to the Nigerian government.
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U.S. District Judge John F. Walter also ordered Okoronkwo to pay $923,824 in restitution to the IRS and to forfeit $1,039,997, proceeds from a Valencia, California property bought with the illicit funds.
Prosecutors said Okoronkwo failed to declare the bribe in his 2015 federal tax return and lied to federal investigators, claiming the money was client funds. His law licence in California was subsequently suspended in early 2026.
The case, handled by the U.S. Department of Justice with assistance from the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation Division, underscores ongoing international efforts to tackle corruption involving public officials in strategic sectors like oil and gas.
This conviction marks a significant step in holding Nigerian and foreign-linked officials accountable for cross-border financial crimes, highlighting the U.S. government’s commitment to enforcing anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws.
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