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LAGOS, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Nigerian oil firm Lekoil
has reached a deferred payment deal to keep ownership of an
oilfield, the company said in a statement on Tuesday, after it
discovered the loan it wanted to use for the purchase was
fraudulent.
Lekoil shares plummeted on the London stock market last week
after finding that a $184 million loan it had announced from the
Qatar Investment Authority was a "complex facade" by individuals
pretending to represent the QIA.
Tuesday's statement said Lekoil has agreed to make final
payments totalling $9.6 million to Optimum Petroleum Development
Company, the operator of the OPL 310 oilfield, by 2 May.
The companies also agreed to defer to July 2020 Lekoil's
need to prove it can fund 42.86% of drilling costs.
"We remain excited about the opportunities of OPL 310 and
are focused on securing the necessary funding under the revised
schedule," said Lekan Akinyanmi, Lekoil's chief executive.
"We are grateful for the support and commitment shown by our
partner Optimum," he said.
The audacious scam has casts doubt on Nigeria's hopes that
its indigenous oil and gas producers can fill the gap left by
international oil majors such as Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron
Corp, which are trying to sell Nigerian assets to focus on
projects elsewhere.
(Reporting by Libby George in Lagos; Writing by Paul Carsten;
editing by David Evans)