US Returns Nearly $1 Million of Forfeited Corrupt Funds to Nigeria
The U.S. is "sharing" around $954,807 with the Nigerian government pursuant to an agreement between the countries over repatriating assets the U.S. forfeited that were traceable to the former governor of the Nigerian state of Bayelsa, DOJ announced. The action stems from the work of the Kleptopcracy Asset Recovery Initiative, under which U.S. law enforcement looks to "recover the proceeds of foreign official corruption."
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The former governor, Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha, now deceased, served as governor of Bayelsa from 1999 to 2005. During this time, he "accumulated property worth millions of dollars through corrupt and illegal activities, including property in Rockville, Maryland," DOJ said. In 2013, a U.S. district court judge granted a motion for a default judgment, issuing a final decree of forfeiture after a U.S. law enforcement investigation.
The move "extinguished all prior title and authorized forfeiture of the private residence" to the U.S. DOJ also successfully forfeited around $400,000 from the former governor's investment account in a separate action in Massachusetts. The U.S. will transfer all the forfeited assets to Nigeria under the agreement announced Feb. 16 for the purposes of boosting improvements in healthcare centers across Bayelsa.