TRACKING_____Another tranche of General Sani Abacha’s loot totaling $320 million, which the U.S. government was earlier poised to repatriate to the country, might not anytime soon be returned.
This is because the U.S. Senate Finance Committee led by Charles Grassley is calling for a review of plans to return the money to Nigeria.
The Senate committee believes that the Nigerian government is allegedly corrupt and abusive of fundamental human rights.
It specifically bemoaned the role being played by Abubakar Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and Ibrahim Magu, acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in the alleged abuse.
While accusing the Nigerian government of corruption and sundry cases of gross violation of human rights, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee members urged the Trump administration to pause action until they are able to satisfy certain demands of the committee, under its oversight powers.
These demands were contained in an April 1, 2020 letter addressed by Senator Grassley to Ms. Deborah Connor, director of the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section at the Department of Justice, and sighted by Daily Independent.
Specifically, in the letter signed by Charles Grassley, the ranking senator lambasted the President Muhammadu Buhari government for its alleged mistreatment of Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters; its alleged nonchalance towards persecution of Nigerian Christians; as well as its alleged unconscionable plan to re-loot the money when repatriated.
“It is critical for Congress to understand what steps the United States government is taking, before it helps transfer hundreds of millions of dollars to Nigeria, to ensure that the money is not fueling more corruption and government abuses,” Senator Grassley stated.
Therefore, listing the said demand, the senator stated, “Please provide detailed written responses to the following, no later than April 23, 2020: “Please provide a copy of the agreement between the United States, the Isle of Jersey, and Nigeria.
“After the money is transferred, what oversight mechanism, if any, will ensure that Nigeria is acting in good faith in accordance with the agreement facilitated by the United States and the Isle of Jersey? If none, please explain why not and what steps the United States could take before transmitting the funds to ensure proper oversight.
“What enforcement mechanism exists, if any, to recoup funds that are not spent in accordance with the agreement? If none, please explain why not and what steps the United States could take before transmitting the funds to ensure that the agreement can be enforced. The funds are supposed to be earmarked for specific infrastructure projects, but what safeguards, if any, prevent Nigeria from using the funds to pay contractors with a history of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) or similar violations? If none, please explain why not.
“Has the Nigerian government identified the contractors to be used on the projects, and if so, has the United States determined whether the firms have a history of FCPA or other violations? If not, please explain why not.
