Former Director of Legal Services at the Nigerian Ministry of Petroleum, Grace Taiga, who was accused of receiving bribes from P&ID, has passed away.
While the exact date of her death was in September 2023, it was not publicly disclosed by her family.
The cause of her death was attributed to kidney issues. She will be laid to rest in December in Delta state, as per sources familiar with the matter.
Grace Taiga served in the ministries of petroleum resources and defense and retired on September 1, 2010. Although her precise age remains unconfirmed, she passed away in her mid-70s.
Taiga had been arrested and faced court charges from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of receiving payments from P&ID to manipulate the controversial gas supply and processing agreement (GSPA) against Nigeria.
In a recent development, Justice Robin Knowles of the Commercial Courts of England and Wales upheld Nigeria’s request to set aside the $11 billion arbitration award on grounds of fraud.
Taiga had appeared as a witness for P&ID in the proceedings and was cross-examined by Nigeria.
Knowles’ ruling indicated that Taiga played a role in facilitating the gas agreement and that bribes had been paid to her both before and after the contract on behalf of P&ID.
The judge rejected the claim that the payments to Taiga were for medical expenses and affirmed that they were corrupt.
It is worth noting that Grace Taiga’s passing adds to the list of individuals connected to the P&ID case who have passed away, including Michael Quinn, Rilwanu Lukman, Lloyd Quinn, Neil Hitchcock, and Taofik Tijani.
There is no indication that these deaths are connected.