Swiss: We'll give back money
2005-05-31 12:17
Geneva - Swiss justice officials on Monday denied claims by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo that Switzerland was stalling on the agreed repatriation to his nation of hundreds of millions of dollars of stolen government funds.
The Swiss Justice Ministry denied Obasanjo's claims it was demanding Nigeria repatriate Nigerians who have broken Swiss laws before returning the money, and attributed the slowness of the handover process to the involvement of the World Bank, which was monitoring the transactions.
"It's clear to us that there are no conditions on the return of the money," said ministry spokesperson Livio Zanolari. "The return of the illegal Nigerians in Switzerland is not a condition for the return of the money.
"The topic comes up in diplomatic discussions with Nigerian officials, but it has been for years."
Zanolari said the World Bank was observing the handover because the Swiss Federal Council wanted to guarantee the money would go toward development projects in areas such as health, education and infrastructure, as promised by Nigeria.
Obasanjo accused Swiss authorities of undermining "the Nigerian anti-corruption and transparency drive and crusade."
- AP