Nigeria, US sign agreement to return $300m looted by Abacha, Alamieyeseigha

The Federal Government is said to have signed an agreement with the United States of America on how over $300 million looted by former Head of State, late Gen. Sani Abacha, and erstwhile governor of Bayelsa State, late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, will be returned to Nigeria.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, made the disclosure of the agreement with the US on the roadmap to the return of the looted fund, when he spoke at Chatham House, London in the UK on Thursday.

He explained that the US government is now in custody of the money including parts of it that was stashed in the United Kingdom, France and Jersey.

The speech was made available to newsmen by the AGF’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Salihu Isah titled “Nigeria’s Anti-Corruption Effort: Working with the Media, Civil Society and International Partners”.

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According to Malami, the US government took custody of the funds after a court in America ruled that the over $300 million be forfeited.

He added that of the $300 million the sums of $1.6 million and £21.7 million were in the UK, while $145 million was stashed in France and $299 million in Jersey.

This is coming after the AGF had not long ago singed a tripartite agreement with the representatives of the Swiss government and World Bank for the return by Switzerland to Nigeria of the sum of $321 million which Abacha and members of his family were said to have looted.

 

 

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