The government of Jersey, a British Crown Dependency in the Channel Islands between the UK and France, is going to give back more than $9.5 million (£7 million) to Nigeria.
According to AFP, the money would be used to help build infrastructure in the West African country.
The Attorney General for Jersey, Mark Temple KC, and the federal government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in December.
The MoU is based on two previous agreements between Nigeria and Jersey that involved the return of more than $300 million that was kept in a bank account on the island.
Lateef Fagbemi, Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, said that the money would be utilized “in line with the terms” of the deal.
Fagbemi told the BBC that “the successful recovery and repatriation of the forfeited assets shows how well Nigeria is working with its international partners to make sure that there is no safe haven for illegally acquired wealth or assets moved to foreign jurisdictions.”
The minister added that the money will help build the last parts of a roadway that will connect Abuja and Lagos.
Temple said that the move shows “the strength of our civil forfeiture legislation as a powerful tool in the fight against corruption.”
The Royal Court learned in 2024 that the money was “more likely than not” the result of a fraudulent operation in which third-party contractors took government money “for the benefit of senior Nigerian officials and their associates.”
During the time of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the money was found.
But the return was delayed because of legal problems.
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