Federal High Court Convicts P&ID Director James Nolan in Absentia Over Money Laundering
The Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted British national James Nolan, a director in Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID) Ltd, in absentia on multiple counts of money laundering. Justice Obiora Egwuatu also found Micad Project City Services Ltd, a subsidiary of P&ID, guilty of several charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Nolan and the company were arraigned in 2022 on a 20-count charge involving money laundering, forgery, and obtaining by false pretence linked to the controversial $9.6 billion P&ID scandal. Delivering judgment, Justice Egwuatu upheld all counts against Nolan except one, which was struck out as the alleged offence predated the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.
The court ruled that Nolan’s trial in absentia complied with Section 352(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, and ordered his arrest through INTERPOL for sentencing. The judge also directed the arrest of Adam Quinn, another suspect still at large.
Evidence presented by the EFCC showed that forged company documents were used to access funds, including signatures attributed to Lloyd Quinn, who had died in 2014. Nolan, who fled Nigeria after meeting bail conditions in 2022, was re-arrested in Italy in 2024 but has yet to be extradited for sentencing.
The ruling marks another significant development in Nigeria’s protracted legal battle over the P&ID contract dispute, one of the country’s most high-profile corruption-related cases.
