BUOYED by a swath of agreements reached with other countries in London last week, the Federal Government is to begin moves to prosecute corrupt Nigerian politicians who have fled to Europe and other parts of the world.
Besides, the Nigerian Government has reached an agreement with the United Kingdom to repatriate the slush funds stolen and hidden away in that country by crooked Nigerians.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, confirmed the decisions to Vanguard in a telephone interview last night. Although the minister did not say how much of stolen funds the country was going to repatriate from Britain, he confirmed that an agreement had been reached on how to return the money to Nigeria.
The AGF said,”We have agreed that all those who stole money from Nigeria and hid them in other parts of the world should be traced and prosecuted and the money repatriated to Nigeria.
“We have determined how much the cash is in the UK but there is an agreement already with the British Government on repatriating the money to Nigeria.
“The meeting on anti-corruption which Britain hosted last week in London with President Muhammadu Buhari and other world leaders in attendance, reached several agreements that would help to stem the tide of money laundering and corruption in Nigeria.
“Among others, Nigeria and others agreed for an international collaboration for a joint action that none of the 54 countries should allow its shores to be used holding looted funds.
“That agreement also calls for sanctions against any member that allows its territory to be used in safe-keeping looted funds.
“The agreement also paves the way for the establishment of anti-corruption centers in these countries and a fundamental framework for the repatriated of looted funds to where the money was taken,” Malami said.
It will be recalled that the Nigerian leader and others converged on London last week to seek ways of ending rising cases of looting of their nations’ resources by powerful citizens. Nigeria is known to have suffered serious funds leakage through years of plundering by powerful politicians and top government officials who hide away in the UK and other parts of the world where their loot is also hidden.