The National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom announced on Thursday that it has recovered more than $23 million taken from Nigeria by the late military dictator Sani Abacha, the latest in a string of such recoveries around the world.
According to Transparency International, Abacha ruled Africa’s most populous country and top oil exporter from 1993 until his death in 1998, stealing up to $5 billion in public funds. He was never charged with anything.
According to the NCA, the money found in the United Kingdom is part of a larger pool of monies identified by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) as having been plundered by Abacha and his cronies.
“The NCA is determined to ensuring that the UK is not a safe haven for criminals to launder their proceeds of crime,” said Billy Beattie, Asset Denial Senior Manager at the NCA.
Every year, police estimate that over £100 billion ($123 billion) in dirty money passes through or enters the United Kingdom, buying everything from expensive mansions to entire businesses.
The Panama, Paradise, and Pandora Papers, among other leaks of financial records, have highlighted London’s role as a global money-laundering centre.
According to the announcement, the $23 million was recovered after seven years of litigation and international negotiations by the NCA at the request of the DOJ.
A question concerning whether the monies would eventually return to Nigeria was not immediately answered by an NCA official. Countries such as the United States and Switzerland have previously repatriated Abacha loot.
Source: Reuters
