BMW Scandal: Coscharis gave N112m kickback to aviation minister

According
to new
reports by
Sahara
Reporters,
the car
company
that sold
the two
BMW armored cars to NCAA, gave N112million to
aviation minister Stella Oduah as kickbacks.
(Kickback is a form of negotiated bribery in which a
commission is paid to the bribe-taker for services
rendered)
From Sahara Reporters
Even as the minister of aviation began a new spin
today that the BMW armored cars purchased by the
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for her use
were done on "hire-purchase", SaharaReporters
has unearthed new details about the $1.6 million
spent by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to
purchase the armored BMW cars for Nigeria's
Aviation Minister Stella Oduah.
A highly reliable source has told SaharaReporters
that the shady deal for the car was done entirely
between Coscharis Motors Limited, a dealership
from which the cars were purchased, one of Ms.
Oduah’s private firms based in Abuja, and First
Bank of Nigeria.
“The NCAA was not even aware of the deal until the
minister told them to sign that they had received
two BMW cars,” said our source.
After inking the deal, Coscharis Motors, sellers of
the highly inflated automobiles, reportedly gave the
Aviation Minister more than N112 million as
kickbacks. Our source added that Cosmas Maduka,
who owns Coscharis Motors, pocked N60 million for
each of the two BMW cars.
An official at the NCAA corroborated the information
that the agency was largely kept in the dark about
the transaction. “We were never privy to the
transaction and had not seen the cars even though
our head of transport was made to sign the delivery
note,” said the source. The agency is under the
Ministry of Aviation.
The source added that the agency has still not seen
the cars even after the scandal escalated.
SaharaReporters was first to break the news that
Ms. Oduah compelled a cash-strapped NCAA to pay
for two extravagantly priced bullet-proof BMWs for
her personal use. After initially denying our reports,
the minister’s spokesman, Joe Obi, admitted that
the transaction transpired. Mr. Obi alleged that the
purchase was justified because of unspecified
threats to the minister’s life. Neither Mr. Obi nor the
minister has provided proof of any threats to Ms.
Oduah. The minister has not addressed why the
NCAA paid a price tag that auto dealers in the US
and the UK described as a rip-off. US dealers said
that each of the BMW cars should cost no more
than $$167,000.
Last week, an official of the NCAA, Fola Akinkuotu,
spoke to the media and defended the purchase of
the cars. Mr. Akinkuotu said the cars were for the
ministry’s protocol pool for use in transporting
foreign aviation dignitaries when they visit Nigeria.
His explanation conflicted with the original
statement by the minister’s spokesman, Mr. Obi. A
source at the NCAA disclosed that Mr. Akinkuotu felt
tricked into facing the media on the scandal. “He
had been told he would only appear beside the
embattled minister, who was supposed to speak.
Instead, he was asked to speak,” said the source.
Meanwhile, a source at the Presidency said
President Goodluck Jonathan was unfazed about
the fraud perpetrated by Ms. Stella Oduah, his
Aviation Minister. Ms. Oduah and the late former
National Security Advisor, General Owoye Azazi,
had played significant roles in raising and
disbursing money to rig the 2011 presidential
elections for Mr. Jonathan. Mr. Jonathan will depart
Abuja tomorrow on a weeklong pilgrimage to Israel.
However, SaharaReporters learnt that several
ministers and diplomats have registered their
displeasure at Mr. Jonathan’s continued retention of
Ms. Oduah on his cabinet.