FG to repatriate looted £300m from Jersey —Minister

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Corruption Politics, Latest Politics Wednesday, May 25th, 2016

MINISTER of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, has said the Federal Government is in the process of repatriating from Jersey the stolen £300 million. Onyeama stated this in Abuja, on Tuesday, at a news conference organised as part of activities to mark the one year anniversary of President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration. Jersey, an independent English-speaking territory with a mix of British and French cultures, is the largest of the Channel Islands located between England and France.

The minister said the money in Jersey would have been repatriated but for a last minute “objection” raised by the people, who were supposed to forfeit it. “We are just in the process of repatriating that in the UK itself. Sometimes, very often, what happens is that the people, who have ownership or who claim to have ownership (of the money) might bring up a defence.
“Like if you take the one in Jersey, it is like £300 million or thereabouts; now everything had been done to repatriate the money. “It was no longer contested; and then at the last minute, an objection was raised by the people who were supposed to forfeit those funds.

“So, of course, the authorities in Jersey were obliged – as much as they would have liked to just go ahead and repatriate it – to go through certain legal procedures, because the other party would have a lawyer and there were legal issues. “And then, we have to now start going through that all over again; so that is really the challenge,” he said. According to the minister, the important thing was that the process had been engaged. He said Nigeria would not relent in seeking to repatriate the alleged stolen funds.

-Tribunewp_posts