Norway’s Defence Chief, Haakon Bruun-Hansen has apologized to the country’s legislators over the sale of six battleships to former Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo.
Details of the transaction were revealed in December 2014 by a Norwegian newspaper,Daglabet.
Admiral Bruun-Hansen, speaking during a parliamentary disciplinary committee enquiry into the sale of the battleships on Thursday, April 30, 2015, admitted that military officials did not do proper due diligence before selling the ships.
“Does this mean that anybody can buy these boats, as long as they sign a declaration? Even terrorists? How on earth could this happen?” an angry Member of Parliament, Erik Skutle asked during the enquiry.
“The fact that the vessels have landed in Nigeria under Nigerian flag reflects a breakdown in our systems, and I apologize for that,” the defence chief said.
After news of the sale broke, the Norwegian government defended the transaction, saying that the export “followed correct procedure and terms of export to Great Britain. The re-export from Great Britain to Nigeria is a question to be handled solely by British export control authorities.”
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA) also defended the purchase at the time saying that Mr. Ekpemupolo’s company, Global West Vessel Service, handles maritime security issues for the agency.
The transaction was however eventually investigated in Norway leading to the arrest of three Norwegian civil servants, who are now being charged for corruption.
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