More than $9.5 million (£7 million) linked to corrupt proceeds and held in a Jersey bank account is set to be returned to the Nigerian government to support an infrastructure project.
Jersey’s Attorney General, Mark Temple KC, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in December authorising the repatriation. The agreement builds on two previous deals between Jersey and Nigeria which saw over $300 million (£230 million) returned.
In January 2024, Jersey’s Royal Court ruled that the funds were “more likely than not” proceeds of a corrupt scheme in which third-party contractors diverted Nigerian government funds for the benefit of senior officials and their associates.
Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said the recovered assets would be used strictly in line with the MOU, adding that the development shows there is no safe haven for illicitly acquired wealth.
The money will be used to complete the final stages of a key highway linking Abuja with Nigeria’s second-largest city, described as a vital transport link.
Jersey’s Attorney General said the repatriation highlights the strength of the island’s civil forfeiture laws in the global fight against corruption.
