In what is believed to be a major booster in the move to recover stolen funds, the United States and the Nigerian government have reached a deal for the return stolen money of about $1 million by late Deprieye Alamieyeseigha, a former governor in Nigeria.
Recall that Alamieyeseigha, who was governor of Bayelsa State in South-south Nigeria in 1999, was removed from office by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly in December 2005 to face trial.
It could also be recalled that Alamieyeseigha was arrested in London in September 2005 over corruption allegations but managed to jump bail and returned to Nigeria.
The former governor later died in October 2015.
According to reports, funds linked to him in the UK and the US were also seized thanks to joint cooperation.
During the signing of the agreement for the repatriation of funds seized from him by the US government, in Abuja, the US ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, said the funds would be deployed to funding healthcare services in Bayelsa State.
She said “As a result of today’s agreement, healthcare across Bayelsa will be improved through the rehabilitation, refurbishment and reequipping of healthcare centres as requested by the state”.
While recalling the 15-year journey of recovering the stolen assets, Leonard disclosed that Alamieyeseigha’s “official salary did not exceed the equivalent of about 81,000 dollars per year.”
“However, during that time, he (Alamieyeseigha) accumulated millions of dollars’ worth of property due to corrupt acts such as abuse of office, money laundering and other violations of Nigerian and US laws,” the US ambassador added.
The ambassador who cited the UN convention against corruption, restated the US government’s commitment to tackling corrupt practices.
Leonar averred that to forestall issues of recovered proceeds being re-looted, “recovered proceeds will be transformed into assets that benefit the people harmed by underlying corrupt conduct, to improve the lives of average Nigerians, not a corrupt elite.”
She further pledged that the US would continue “to deny safe havens to corrupt actors and the assets they have illicitly acquired.”
In his remark, Nigeria’s Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary and Solicitor-General of the Federation, thanked the US government for returning looted funds to Nigeria.
“…this asset return arose from the forfeiture and recovery of approximately $1 million USD linked to the corrupt practices of former Bayelsa State governor DSP Alamieyeseigha,” the minister recalled.
According to him, the forfeited assets totalling $954.807.40 were located in Maryland and Massachusetts.
The AGF noted that following a US court order and negotiations between the two governments, President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the terms of an agreement that would lead to investing the repatriated funds in providing healthcare projects for the people of Bayelsa.
The Bayelsa State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Biriyai Dambo, promised to implement the terms of the agreement for the project.
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