Authorities in Jersey, a British Crown Dependency located in the Channel Islands between the United Kingdom and France, are planning to return over $9.5 million (£7 million) to the Nigerian government.
This money will be directed towards supporting infrastructure projects in Nigeria. The decision to repatriate these funds followed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in December between Mark Temple KC, the Attorney General for Jersey, and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The MoU is built on two past deals between Nigeria and Jersey involving the return of over $300m, which were held in a bank account in the island.
According to Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, the return of the funds would be used “in line with the terms” of the agreement.
“The successful recovery and repatriation of the forfeited assets underscores the effectiveness of Nigeria’s collaborative efforts with its international partners in ensuring that there is no safe haven for illicitly acquired wealth or assets moved to foreign jurisdictions,” the BBC quoted Fagbemi as saying.
The minister said the money will support the construction of the last stages of a highway linking Abuja and Lagos.
For Temple, the move signifies “the strength of our civil forfeiture legislation as a powerful tool in the fight against corruption”.
In 2024, the Royal Court found out that the monies were “more likely than not” proceeds from a corrupt scheme where third-party contractors took government funds “for the benefit of senior Nigerian officials and their associates”.
The money was recovered during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. However, the return was delayed due to legal issues.
