America, others blocking return of looted funds to Nigeria
- America and other western countries have been accused of withholding Nigerian looted funds on technicality grounds
- According to Sagay, Nigeria presently stands to lose another 550 million dollars recovered from the Abacha family to the U.S
- Abike Dabiri-Erewa however criticized the uncooperative attitude of the countries where the stolen funds were stashed
Prof. Itse Sagay
Prof. Itse Sagay, chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) and Abike Dabiri-Erewa, a senior special assistant to the President on foreign affairs and diaspora, on Thursday, January 12, accused America and some other countries of refusing to return Nigeria’s stolen funds.
This was disclosed at a media conference on asset recovery jointly organised by PACAC and the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
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Sagay said: “Nigeria presently stands to lose another 550 million dollars recovered from the Abacha family to the U.S., contrary to the earlier promise by the U.S. to return same to Nigeria.”
Abike Dabiri-Erewa
According to him, the amount is different from the 480 million dollars forfeited to the U.S. following a court judgment in August 2014.
He further disclosed that the conditions for repatriation given by the countries in which some of the nation’s stolen money was hidden contradicted the earlier promises made by them.
He added: “Out of the Abacha loot for instance, Switzerland seized over 505.5 million dollars between 2004 and 2006.
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“The UK recovered 2.7 million dollars from Alamieyeseigha’s account in London in 2005.
“Alamieyeseigha’s home and other real estate as at 2005 was estimated at over 15 million dollars,’’ Sagay said.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, senior special assistant to the president on foreign affairs and diaspora however called for the unconditional return of Nigeria’s looted fund.
Dabiri-Erewa criticized the uncooperative attitude of the countries where the stolen funds were being stashed.
She said: “America has over 400 million dollars that have been officially recovered as stolen funds from Nigeria.
“But America is keeping the funds, they are telling us about technicalities; they are saying we recovered doesn’t mean we can return.
“We want every Nigerian in Diaspora, friends of Nigeria, to join this committee in demanding that every Nigeria’s stolen fund recovered in any part of the world should be returned to Nigeria,” she said.
She also noted that the person who steals is just as guilty as the person who keeps stolen funds.
“The person who steals is a criminal; the person who keeps known stolen funds is also liable.
“You can’t give us aid of one billion dollars and keep one billion dollars of funds you have recovered from Nigeria.
“So we will join the committee to embark on an advocacy with Nigerians outside the world to appeal to these nations to do everything possible to return what belongs to Nigeria,” she said.
Meanwhile, N565 billion recovered from looters by anti-graft agencies in the fight against corruption had been included in the funding for the 2017 budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari.
President Buhari presented the 2017 appropriation bill to the National Assembly which is a N7.298 trillion proposal that will become effective immediately the Assembly approves and passes it back to the president for assent.