The United States government says it has begun dialogue with the federal government on the release of the 458 million dollar Abacha loot but that the legal process for its recovery will take extra time.
The Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr David Young, made this known at a conference to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day in Abuja.
In a no-holds barred dialogue at the US Embassy, corruption as an enemy of development was part of discussions but the issue of Nigeria’s inability to recover her stolen funds generated more concern.
Human rights activist, Mr Femi Falana echoed his disappointment at the US’ handling of the Abacha loot but the US Deputy Chief of Mission underlined the procedures involved.
“The US government has filed an objection to the release of 458 million dollars of the Abacha loot before the high court in the UK.
“The court would have released the money by now but the US government is raising an objection that the money should be given to the US government; they are going to manage the money for us,” Falana said.
David Young, in his response said: “We know that the recovery of stolen assets within the United States and other countries is an important part of that effort and we are committed to partnering with the Nigerian government, moving forward.
“This is obviously a systemic effort that takes its time. We have legal processes that we have to go through in order to recover these stolen assets but we are committed and involved in dialogue with the Nigerian government to move forward in this effort.”
He underscored the United States’ alignment with the Nigerian government in its drive to weed out corruption and entrench transparency in the system.
He also lauded series of efforts by the Presidency to weed out corruption.
Several groups have also joined in the call for better co-ordination, including the loot stashed in Swiss banks to recover the nation’s monies and ease the impact of the recession.
