FG Recovers N5.5 Billion from Abacha Family

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN),  Thursday in Abuja said the Federal Government had recovered about N5.5 billion (£22.5 million) loot from the family of the late military head of state, General Sani Abacha.

Adoke also said negotiations had almost reached completion to recover another N36.7 billion (EUR 175 million) from two of his associates.

Speaking in Abuja at the 2013 Ministerial Briefing, Adoke said the Ministry of Justice had maintained effective liaison and communications with targeted jurisdictions to keep pace with asset recovery proceedings in those jurisdictions.

He added that the close liaison and negotiations with the Island of Jersey led to the recovery and repatriation of £22.5 million confiscated by the Royal Court of Jersey from Raj Arjandes Bhojwani, an Indian national and an associate of Abacha, on account of his money laundering transactions from Nigeria.

He further stated that the continued liaison and negotiations with the Principality of Liechtenstein had yielded positive results as the country recently confiscated the sum of EUR 175 million from the Abacha family and associated companies in Liechtenstein following a confiscation order by the Supreme Court of Liechtenstein.

He however added that the companies involved had lodged an appeal against the decision before the European Court of Justice in Strasburg, stating that as soon as the appeal was concluded, arrangements consistent with the asset recovery provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption would be made to repatriate the forfeited sums to Nigeria.
Adoke further stated that the ministry, in the discharge of its mandate as the focal ministry under the United Nations Convention against Corruption, was in the process of finalising a National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) to fight corruption in the country.

On the campaign against the death sentence, the minister reminded the criminally-minded Nigerians that capital punishment was still in force in the country and that the global campaign against the death penalty by Amnesty International and other bodies had not metamorphosed into its abolition in the world.

He explained that in Nigeria, most of the laws that carried the death penalty were state laws and could not be abolished by the federal government on behalf of the states since the country practises federalism.

On the death sentence passed on Abacha’s former chief of security, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha for the killing of Kudirat Abiola, the minister said it would be subjudice for him to comment on the case, on the grounds that the matter was pending at the Court of Appeal.

He said: “Al-Mustapha was tried and convicted by a Lagos High Court on the charges of killing Kudirat Abiola. It is not for me to comment upon it. His lawyers are in the Court of Appeal for justice to take its normal course.”

Speaking on the prosecution of the arrested Boko Haram members, the AGF said the federal government had prosecuted 75 cases related to terrorism and Boko Haram insurgency.

He added that a good number of the terrorism cases were struck out because the accused persons had escaped during the attack on prisons in Bauchi and Maiduguri.
The suspects, according to him, would be arraigned as soon as they were apprehended.

He said 16 of the cases had been concluded with eight convictions, while 35 were struck out.

Adoke added that a total of 244 general offences, including culpable homicide, rape, armed robbery and traffic offences were filed in court.

The minister acknowledged that the pace of dispensation of justice in the country was still not as fast as desired, but said considerable improvements had been made in the criminal justice system.