The late Nigerian military leader and President Sani Abacha (Source: Wikipedia Commons)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
Nigeria’s late military dictator Sani Abacha reportedly looted the east African nation of billions of dollars before he died in 1998. The Nigerian government Wednesday signed a new agreement with the United States government for the return of more than $23 million stolen by General Abacha. The US, through the Department of Justice and FBI, forfeited $23 million traceable to the “corruption and money laundering” of Abacha and his co-conspirators, the DOJ said in a statement. Mary Leonard, U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, signed the agreement on behalf of her country. Ambassador Leonard said $23 million adds to the $311.7 million Abacha loot repatriated from the U.S. to Nigeria in 2020. Abacha became Nigeria’s head of state in a military coup in 1993 and ruled until his death five years later. The DOJ said the money will be returned to the Nigerian people through an agreement between the Governments of the US and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In 2014, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates for the District of Columbia entered a judgment ordering the forfeiture of approximately $500 million located in accounts around the world, as the result of a civil forfeiture complaint for more than $625 million traceable to money laundering involving the proceeds of “Abacha’s corruption”. In 2020, the DOJ repatriated $311.7 million of the forfeited assets that had been located in the Bailiwick of Jersey. Last year, the U.K. government enforced the U.S. judgment against the additional $23 million.
“This repatriation of $23 million reflects the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to recover and return corruption proceeds laundered through the U.S. financial system,”
-said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
According to the DOJ, the forfeited assets represent corrupt monies laundered during and after the military regime of General Abacha.
US signs agreement with FG to return $23m Abacha loot ( TV360 NEWS)
The US complaint alleges that General Abacha, his son Mohammed Sani Abacha, their associate Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and others embezzled, misappropriated and extorted billions from the government of Nigeria and others, then laundered their criminal proceeds through U.S. financial institutions and transactions in the United States.
The DOJ said the United Kingdom’s cooperation in the investigation, restraint and enforcement of the U.S. judgement, along with the “valuable contributions of Nigeria and other law enforcement partners around the world”, including the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, as well as those of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, have been instrumental to the recovery of the funds.
The $23 Million to Support Three Critical Infrastructure Projects in Nigeria
Under the fresh agreement signed Wednesday, the US will transfer 100% of the net forfeited assets to the Federal Republic of Nigeria to support three critical infrastructure projects in Nigeria that were previously authorized by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian legislature. Specifically, the funds governed by the agreement will help finance the Second Niger Bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Abuja-Kano road – investments that will benefit the citizens of each of these important regions in Nigeria.
The US case was brought under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative by a team of prosecutors in the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section working in partnership with the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Swiss Government Returns $321 Million Stolen By Abacha to Nigeria
Switzerland said in 2017 that it had returned to Nigeria all monies kept in the country by Abacha, amounting to some $321 million with an additional $1.5 million interest.
