Paulinus Iheanacho Okoronkwo, a former official of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC), has been sentenced to 87 months in US federal prison for accepting a $2.1 million bribe from a Swiss oil company.
The bribery occurred while he served as General Manager of NNPC’s Upstream Division, a role that classified him as a foreign public official with fiduciary responsibilities.
The United States District Judge John F. Walter handed down the sentence after a four-day trial in August 2025.
Okoronkwo, also known as “Pollie,” must pay $923,824 in restitution to the IRS and forfeit $1,039,997, proceeds from property linked to laundering the bribe.
Court documents reveal that the Swiss company, Addax Petroleum—a subsidiary of China’s Sinopec—transferred the $2.1 million to Okoronkwo’s Los Angeles law firm in 2015.
The payment, falsely labeled as consultancy fees for negotiating drilling rights in Nigeria, was used to secure favorable terms for Addax’s crude oil operations.
Portions of the funds were later funneled to IPO Capital LLC and spent on personal assets, including a car and a home in Valencia, California.
Okoronkwo also faced tax evasion and obstruction of justice charges. He allegedly failed to report the $2.1 million in his 2015 tax return and misled federal investigators by claiming the money was client funds.
Following the scandal, Okoronkwo was dismissed from NNPC (now NNPCL), and his California law license was suspended in January 2026.
He had dual US–Nigerian citizenship and practiced immigration, family, and personal injury law in Los Angeles before his conviction.
This high-profile case underscores the global crackdown on corruption involving Nigerian officials and international oil companies.
