France to help recover Abacha loot
2001-12-18 18:07
Lagos - France is to help Nigeria to recover million of dollars
allegedly looted by former dictator Sani Abacha and his cronies, a
senior French envoy said in reports on Tuesday.
Abacha, who ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998, is
accused of having diverted $3 billion of public money
into secret accounts in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.
The late dictator's eldest son, Mohammed, currently faces
corruption and murder charges in Nigeria.
The French Ambassador to Nigeria, Jean Mark Simon, is quoted in
the press here on Tuesday as saying his country would help Africa's
most populous country to recover the money.
"France is ready to work closely with the Nigerian government to
ensure that monies stolen by Nigerians are retrieved," he said.
Recovery of the stolen money will facilitate the country's
economic development, Simon added.
"We are concerned with the economic development of Nigeria and
France will do anything to assist in retrieving these stolen
monies," Simon said.
France will also help to return artefacts believed to have been
stolen from Nigeria, the ambassador added.
"At present, we are working out arrangements to identify these
artefacts. A meeting will soon be arranged between France and
Nigeria to work out the means for returning them," he
added. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA