By Solomi Ezekiel
[T]he federal government of Nigeria and the Swiss government have on Tuesday signed an agreement on the return of $321 million stolen funds under the late General Sani Abacha’s government.
The agreement were jointly signed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami and the Swiss Federal Councillor and Head of Foreign Affairs Department, Mr. Didier Burkhalter at the State House in Abuja.
Under the agreement, tagged “Letter of Intent,” the Swiss government would award to Nigeria $321m “of funds illicitly acquired by the Abacha family, initially deposited in Luxembourg and confiscated by the Judiciary of the Republic and Canton of Geneva pursuant to a Forfeiture order dated 11th December 2014.”
Addressing a Swiss government delegation before the agreement was signed, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo welcomed the offer by Swiss government to return $321 million stolen funds.
He said government was developing a framework that would aid the repatriation of such stolen assets.
He said the framework would be made publicly and would cover the whole spectrum from the source of the stolen asset to how it would be managed once recovered.
“We guarantee that recovered assets would be put to uses for which they have been intended…The framework will guarantee that returned assets will be used in the interest of the people of this country,” he said.
