AG PRESIDENT OSINBAJO ATTENDS AbujaIFFAR 6. L-R; Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami during the conference on promoting International Co-Operation in combating Illicit Financial Flows and Enhancing Asset Recovery to foster Sustainable Development in Nigeria held at the Banquet hall State House in Abuja. PHOTO; SUNDAY AGHAEZE. JUNE 5 2017
Highlight

$322.5m Abacha loot: APC group commends Finance minister, Adeosun, on full disclosures

619

All Progressives Congress (APC) Grassroots Youth for Change at the weekend commended the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, for debunking reports in some sections of the media in respect of the recently repatriated $322.5 million Abacha loot from Switzerland.

National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Orlu Henry Manuchimso, said the clarifications that the money received was not $321 million as widely reported but $322.5 million was commendable, saying it spoke volumes about the transparency capital of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Orlu, in a statement issued in Abuja, noted that the public had been inundated with incorrect information aimed at discrediting not only the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) but also the Buhari administration.

The group described as “unwarranted, baseless, wicked and disingenuous” the desperate attempt to create confusion in the polity and cast aspersion on the integrity of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), and a team of legal consultants he engaged to complete the recovery and repatriation process.  

“We have carefully followed and analysed the disturbing developments over the repatriated Abacha loot and have seen through the propaganda, blackmail and outright mischief sponsored by fifth columnists in the media, using an online newspaper and a group to discredit the AGF and a team of outstanding private lawyers he employed to complete the recovery and repatriation process.  

“They started out by drumming it repeatedly that the entire process had been completed by Enrico Monfrini, a Swiss lawyer hired by the Nigerian government since 1999, to work on repatriating the Abacha loot, and went as far as contriving a quote from a supposed e-mail response from him to back it up, only to now reveal in a recent publication that ‘the repatriation of the $321 million was not completed by me (Monfrini).'”

“These desperate individuals also profusely lied against the Finance Minister that she refused to approve the payment of $16.9 million fees to the two lawyers engaged by the AGF for the recovery of the Abacha loot and that she also wrote a strongly-worded letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, raising objections to the payment. Both have since been debunked as false and unfounded.”

The group stated that “It is now obvious that if these detractors can so brazenly peddle and plant outright lies against a high-ranking Minister in a section of the media, there is nothing that suggests to us that they cannot also contrive an e-mail response from Monfrini, more so that they had previously lied in some publications that the Swiss had completed the entire process and the money was only awaiting repatriation.”

The group, however, described as a welcome development, the use of Nigerian lawyers to complete the repatriation, noting that two things have been gained by the country in the process: “the far less percentage charged on the assets repatriation by our lawyers to get the money in, and also the fact these lawyers have gained more experience that could be deployed in future, instead of relying outright on foreign firms.”

According to the group, “We urge those behind this ridiculous smear campaigns to desist; they should shift their focus to supporting the World Bank in the monitoring of the expenditure of the repatriated $322.5 million so that we can all ensure that the projects the recovered funds will be utilised for are faithfully implemented.

“This is where the National Assembly’s oversight is also obligatory, to monitor judicious expenditure of the money on specified and mutually-agreed national investments and safety nets’ projects with the World Bank and not the investigation of payment of service charges to Nigerian lawyers who completed the process of repatriation, as has just been initiated by the House of Representatives through the setting up of an ad-hoc committee.”

Leave a comment

Related Articles

No Need to Panic: Ogun Govt Responds to Tanker Blast at Gateway Games

    Aftermath of a diesel tanker explosion near the Alake Sports...

Food Insecurity: NNPC Foundation Begins 6,000 Farmers’ Training in Ilora, Oyo State

By Samuel Akpan Live in Abeokuta In a groundbreaking initiative aimed at...

CBN Maintains Status Quo: Interest Rate Remains at 27.50%

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Monetary Policy Committee has retained the...

Just In: Police Stray Bullet Claims Life of WASSCE Student in Ibadan

A student heading to take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination...

Just In: TUC Protests Workers’ Poor Welfare at Federal Finance Ministry

Members of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria on Tuesday shut...

Day 2 of Gateway Games: Edo Thrash Delta in Cricket Tournament Opener

By Samuel Akpan Live in Abeokuta Edo State got off to a...

Unpatriotic Leaders: Nigeria’s Greatest Challenge, Says Tietie

Frank Tietie, Executive Director of Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights...

Akwa Ibom Doping Scandal: Team Secretary Clarifies – Exclusive

By Samuel Akpan Live from Abeokuta Janet Bassey, the Akwa Ibom State...

Doping Scandal Rocks Gateway Games: Six Athletes Axed

By Samuel Akpan Live in Abeokuta Six athletes facing anti-doping issues have...

Major Win for FCT Police: Notorious Robber Neutralized, 7 Arrested

In a significant win against crime, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police...

Day 2 : Cross River Takes Early Lead in National Sports Festival

By Samuel Akpan in Abeokuta Cross River State has surged to an...

Updated: Multi-Vehicle Accident at Abuja-Karu Bridge: No fatalities – Police 

Barely two months after a horrific fire ignited by a Dangote trailer...

Teen Weightlifters Grab Gold, Bronze at Gateway Games

Teenage sensations Amarachi Chijioke and Scholastical Tekumbur, representing the Invited Junior Athletes...

Just In: Another Crash Recorded at Abuja-Karu Bridge

Tragedy has struck once again at the Karu Bridge, notorious for deadly...

NAFDAC cracks down on fake drug and eye drop ring in Rivers 

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says...

Cubana Chief Priest’s Business Hit as Lagos Seals Lekki Restaurant

Cubana Chief Priest, a Nigerian entrepreneur’s fast-food restaurant in Lekki area of...

Shocking Coincidence! Another Ex-Military Administrator Dies Just One Week After

Barely one week after a one-time military administrator slumped and passed away,...

DSS Suit Against Utomi’s Parallel Govt In Line With Law – Adamson (SAN)

Amidst the ongoing debate surrounding Prof. Pat Utomi’s announcement of a shadow...

Joe Biden Diagnosed With Aggressive Prostate Cancer, Gleason Score 9

A medical evaluation, prompted by worsening urinary symptoms, revealed that former U.S....

Minister Kicks Off Building of Bauchi Oil and Gas Academy’s Permanent Campus

By Joycelyn Ellakeche Adah In a move aimed at bolstering human capital...