DAKAR, Senegal — The United States introduced Friday that it’ll return $52.88 million in property seized from Nigeria as a part of a years-long corruption investigation into former Oil Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and associates, in response to an announcement joint assembly of the Minister of Justice and Nigeria. the United States authorities.
It marks the primary repatriation of property linked to Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria’s oil minister from 2010 to 2015. She grew to become a robust determine underneath former President Goodluck Jonathan and have become the primary feminine president of the OPEC oil alliance .
The seized property, together with a superyacht and prime actual property in New York and California, have been confiscated in 2023 by US authorities throughout Alison-Madueke’s trial.
Of the repatriated funds, $50 million shall be allotted to rural electrification packages in Nigeria, whereas the remaining $2.88 million shall be supplied as a grant from the African nation to the International Institute of Justice to assist the rule of regulation and anti-terrorism operations.
As minister, Alison-Madueke pledged to remodel the oil sector, however was accused by authorities of looting thousands and thousands of {dollars} in public funds collectively along with her associates. Authorities say many of those property have been domiciled within the United States and the United Kingdom.
Although it has persistently denied any wrongdoing, Nigeria’s anti-corruption company has obtained court docket orders seizing houses, vehicles and jewelery in Nigeria, which it claims have been corruption proceeds linked to the previous minister and his associates.
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