Abacha loot: FG is transparent in usage of recovered assets ― Malami

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The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) said the Federal Government has established record of people-oriented utilization of recovered assets and strong commitment to transparency and accountability through the diligent implementation of projects agreed upon.

The Minister made this known on Monday when the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Government of Jersey and the United States of America signed a tripartite agreement on the recovery of over $300 million looted funds.

Dr. Umar Gwandu, the Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations to the Minister said in a statement that Malami recalled specifically the Federal Government’s agreement with Switzerland and the World Bank with particular reference to the disbursement of the $322 million repatriated from Switzerland in 2018 under a World Bank monitored social investment program targeted at poor households.

According to the statement, the AGF signed the agreement on behalf of the Nigerian government, while the Solicitor General and Attorney General-designate of Jersey, Mark Temple QC signed the Agreement on behalf of Jersey, the Deputy Assistant Attorney, Brian Benczkowski announced the agreement on behalf of the United States.

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In his address during the signing, Malami said that the “agreement has culminated in a major victory, for Nigeria and other African countries as it recognizes that crime does not pay and that it is important for the international community to seek for ways to support sustainable development through the recovery and repatriation of stolen assets.”

He noted further that, “Without the commitment of the three parties to the Agreement (Nigeria, Jersey and the United States) and that of the

legal experts and Attorneys representing Nigeria, it would have been impossible to achieve the success recorded”.

He said the Nigerian government is committed to ensuring that the assets support and assist in expediting the construction of three major infrastructure projects across Nigeria, the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, Abuja – Kano Road and the Second Niger Bridge.