Abacha loot: TI reacts to withdrawal of case

Sani Abacha

An anti-corruption group, Transparency International, has faulted the decision of the Federal Government to drop corruption charges against Mohammed Abacha, son of the late military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

TI expressed this dissatisfaction in a statement by its Regional Director for sub-Saharan Africa, Chantal Uwimana, on Thursday.

The Federal Government had charged Mohammed Abacha for helping his father to steal and launder about N446.3bn allegedly stolen from the government’s coffers between 1995 and 1998.

But Adoke, acting on behalf of the Federal Government last Wednesday, asked Justice Mamman Kolo of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to strike out the charges on the grounds of “fresh facts” that just emerged concerning the case.

Jonathan sets up c’ttee over Abacha loot

ABUJA—President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, set up a committee to fashion out the best way to invest part of the recovered loot of former Head of State, General Sani Abacha.
This followed the planned release of $227 million, about N36.32 billion, from the Government of the Principality of Liechtenstein, which is part of the looted funds recovered from the Abacha family.
To ensure the proper utilisation of the funds, President Goodluck Jonathan decided to constitute an inter-ministerial committee to identify the best projects and programmes in which to invest the funds.
According to a statement from the Special Adviser to the coordinating minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Nwabuikwu, the President had also directed that part of the funds be saved in the Future Generations Fund, which is one of the funds managed by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA to help secure the economic future of both Nigerian youths and unborn Nigerians.

FG releases N200bn for Q2 capital projects

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The Federal Government on Thursday released the sum of N200bn to its Ministries, Departments and Agencies for the implementation of the second quarter capital projects contained in the 2014 budget.

The development was confirmed by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, through a statement issued by her Special Adviser on Communications, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu.

The two-paragraph statement said the fresh amount released had brought the total capital releases for the first and second quarters of this year to N400bn.

The statement read, “The Federal Ministry of Finance has released the sum of N200bn for capital projects for the second quarter of the year.

Govt. drops N446b theft charge against Abacha's son

REPRIEVE came the way of Mohammed, son of the late Head of State Gen. Sanni Abacha as the Federal Government yesterday dropped a nine-count charge against him over alleged complicity in the theft of N446.3 billion during his father’s administration.

   In the nine-count charge preferred against Mohammed in February 2014, the government accused Abacha of unlawfully receiving about N446.3 billion allegedly stolen from government’s coffers between 1995 and 1998.

   In count one, Mohammed was alleged to have, between August and December 1995 in Abuja, dishonestly received $36,480,000.00 made up of cash and travellers’ cheques, property of the Federal Government, believed to have been stolen.