Last Friday, the Royal Court in the US approved the forfeiture of a property described as “tainted,” which had been deposited into a Jersey bank account by Nigerian companies in 2014, according to court documents.
The court found that the tainted property, acquired through “stolen” funds from Nigeria, belonged to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The acquisition was carried out by high-ranking officials within certain departments of the Nigerian Government in 2014. The property was transferred to Jersey as part of a corrupt operation, involving third-party contractors, to divert government funds for the personal benefit of Nigerian officials and their associates.
The funds in question, disguised as transactions related to government-sanctioned contracts for the purchase of arms and aviation equipment during Boko Haram incursions in Nigeria between 2009 and 2015, were meant to aid the fight against terrorism. Instead, the diverted funds were channeled through foreign bank accounts to and from companies linked to family members of the former ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2015 general elections.
The US court highlighted that the recovered funds were originally intended for the procurement of arms to combat terrorist groups like Boko Haram, which wreaked havoc in Northern Nigeria, resulting in numerous casualties and displacements. The court acknowledged that the funds were misappropriated during the 2015 elections through foreign bank accounts connected to PDP members.
Following the electoral defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari took office and initiated legal actions against high-ranking PDP members involved in an arms deal scandal, including the then National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, who was subsequently prosecuted and jailed.
Mark Temple KC, His Majesty’s Attorney General, emphasized that the recovery of the $8.9 million demonstrates the effectiveness of the 2018 Forfeiture Law in combating corruption and returning illicit proceeds to victims of crime.