Tuesday, March 25th, 2014 Abacha loot: U.S. serves govt $550m forfeiture notice By Yusuf Alli, Abuja. United States has written the Federal Government for assistance to serve forfeiture notice on the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s son, Mohammed, an associate of the dictator, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and Dumez Nigeria Plc. The defendants are to forfeit over $550million and £95,910, 222.84(million) in 10 accounts and six investment portfolios linked to the Abachas in France, the Britain, British Virgin Islands and the United States. Abacha has up till today(March 25, 2014) to file an application before the U.S District Court for the District of Columbia to either set aside the forfeiture order or vary it. Failure to file a counter-application or ask for stay will lead to the automatic forfeiture of the cash and other assets today. The letter contains a breakdown of some of the accounts and investment firms/ banks where the looted funds were stashed abroad. The highlights are as follows: Doraville Properties Corporation – $287 million in Account Number 80020796 located at Deutsche Bank International Limited in the Bailiwick of Jersey; HSBC Fund Administration (Jersey) – $12 million in account number S-104460 in the Bailiwick of Jersey; and Rayville International, S. A – $1 million in account number 223405880IUSD at Banque SBA in Paris, France. Others are: Standard Alliance Financial Services Limited – $144 million in account 223406510PUSD at Banque SBA in Paris; Mecosta Securities – $21.7 million in accounts 10030688 and 100138409 at Standard Bank in the United Kingdom; and HSBC Bank Plc – $1.6 million in account number 38175076. Also listed are Blue Holding (1) Pte Ltd/ Ridley Group Limited – £6,806,900; Blue Holding (2) Pte. Ltd/ Ridley Group Limited – £21,846,983; Blue Holding (1) Pte. Ltd/ Ridley Group Limited – £10,293,343.58; Blue Holding (2) Pte. Ltd/ Ridley Group Limited – £56,962,996.26 In the letter to the Federal Government by the Associate Director, Criminal Division of the Office of International Affairs of the US Department of Justice, Jeffrey M. Olson, the US government said it sought the help of Nigeria in line with January 14, 2003 Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters between the two nations. The letter, which was obtained by our correspondent, reads in part: “The United States Central Authority respectfully requests the assistance of the Central Authority of the Federal Republic of Nigeria pursuant to the Treaty between the Government of the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (the Treaty). Full gist on the nation newspaper
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 07:58:08 +0000
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