A total of 22.5 million euro has been recovered by the Federal Government from the confiscation on money laundered by General Sani Abacha.
Speaking at the ministerial platform in Abuja, the Minister of
Justice, Mohammed Adoke said a total of 175 million euro was also
recovered from the family of the late head of state following a
confiscation order by the Supreme Court of Liechtenstein.
Mr Adoke listed measures taken by the federal government to reform the nation’s criminal justice system.
General Abacha had ruled Nigeria as a military Head of State between
November 17, 1993 and June 8, 1998, when he died suddenly of a heart
attack. As a result, General Abdulsalami Abubakar became the head of
state and within a short time, he re-established democracy in Nigeria,
arranging for general elections that resulted in the emergence of
Olusegun Obasanjo assuming the presidency as the democratically elected
leader of the country in 1999.
Before Mr Obasanjo took office, Mr Abubakar’s government had
delivered a clear message that the late Abacha had looted huge sums, and
they had to be restored. Members of the Abacha family and some of their
accomplice then ‘voluntarily’ returned about $1 billion to the Federal
Government. In 2002, the Obasanjo administration tentatively came to an
agreement with the Abacha family to return another $1 billion out of the
$1.1 billion that had been identified, traced and frozen, with the quid
pro quo that the Abachas would be allowed to keep balance that had been
assessed not to be of criminal origin.
The arrangement was not well received by the masses. Although the
proposal caused a massive outcry for seeming to reward the theft of
public funds, it was subsequently rejected by the late dictator’s son,
Mohammed Abacha, who continued to maintain that all the assets in
question were legitimately acquired. The highest sum that had in the
past been traced to the family ranged from $3 billion to $5 billion,
which includes money allegedly derived from misappropriation of funds
from the Central Bank of Nigeria, bribes received from multi-nationals,
among others.
The Swiss government last December said that it has so far returned
to Nigeria the sum of $700 million stolen by the late dictator and
deposited in several Swiss banks. In addition to freezing about $640
million, the Swiss judicial authorities handling the case have also
indicted Mohammed Abacha and Atiku Bagudu under Swiss legislation
regarding money laundering, fraud and taking part in a criminal
organisation.
Source: Channels TV
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