Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday blamed anti-graft agencies for Nigeria’s difficulty in convincing other nations to return looted funds to the nation’s coffers.
Saraki who spoke at one-day strategic retreat on Tackling the Progress of Anti-corruption Bills in National Assembly, alleged that most assets recovered were ‘relooted’ by the anti-corruption agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
Saraki who was represented by the Deputy Leader of the Senate, Bala Na’Allah said: “Nigeria is finding it difficult to convince other nations to return funds looted from our treasury. This because of other nations’ exasperation over the management of returned assets.
“Only recently, Mr. President inaugurated a committee to audit all assets recovered by various government agencies.
“The National Assembly has been strident about the opacity shrouding the management of recovered funds, which in many cases get reported by the agencies that investigated and recovered them.
“An Ad-hoc committee of the Senate, which is investigating some administrative infraction in the Executive, has discovered that many properties recovered from fugitive from the law, have not been accounted for by the investigating agency. This gives global community great concern about the commitment of Nigeria to the anti-corruption drive”.
A Senate ad-hoc committee is currently investigating how over 200 properties recovered by the EFCC from Abdulrasheed Maina, chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms were shared among top officials of the agency and other prominent citizens.
In his opening remarks, chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Chukwuka Utazi stated that Nigeria’s struggle against entrenched corruption is a global concern.
Utazi expressed dissatisfaction with Nigeria’s suspension from Egmont Group at a time the present administration has made anti-corruption a cardinal policy.
He added that the suspension would greatly impede the fight against corruption.
Utazi said: “The suspension activated the immediate shutdown of the EGMONT secure Web (ESW) against Nigeria with the implication that Nigeria can no longer exchange sensitive information with about 172 other member countries in order to carry out investigative and regulatory responsibilities as they affect local and international bothering on money laundering, terrorism financing.
“This is dreadful consequences on sharing criminal intelligence and financial information bothering on money laundering, terrorism financing, proliferation of arms, corruption, financial crimes, economic crimes and such like offences geared towards the support of local and international investigations, prosecution and asset recovery.”
In his own remarks, the Director of Africa network for Environment and Economic Justice, (ANEEJ), David Ugolor disclosed that Swiss government and Nigeria government is at the final stage to return $321 million back to Nigeria from Abacha’s loot.
According to him, return of $321 million Abacha’s loot is at the final stage.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
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