The anti-corruption summit held in London over the last couple of days may be bearing early fruit with reports that prominent Nigerians who have laundered money in the UK could very well lose their assets.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is set to submit a comprehensive list of those convicted, under probe, the fleeing suspects and those watch-listed to the relevant agencies in the UK and their assets could be seized.
Some of the prominent Nigerians that could be affected include James Ibori, Joshua Dariye, the late Abubakar Audu and Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, Chimaroke Nnamani, Lucky Igbinedion, the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, and many others.
Ibori you’d recall has an alleged worth of $150m in the UK with property aplenty. The same can be said of the others to be affected.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has already stated that he is ready to work with the Buhari administration to recover these funds.
An anonymous EFCC official had this to say, “With the pledge of the British Prime Minister, we will just go to our shelf and reel out the list of those with suspected loot and laundered funds in the United Kingdom.
“Already, we have the dossiers of all these suspects right from the days of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the EFCC chairman.
“We can talk of about 60 on our radar, including about 13 governors, former ministers, oil subsidy suspects, indicted top bankers and some of those involved in the $15billion arms deals.
“We will recover all the stolen funds. In fact, very soon, we may start publishing the photographs of the identified assets of some of these suspects.
“In fact, the Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, met with the Special Fraud Office in London on Thursday.
“We can seize these assets under the Interim Forfeiture Order in Sections 26 and 29 of the EFCC Act.
The section reads: “Any property subject to forfeiture under this Act may be seized by the commission in the following circumstances- (a) the seizure is incidental to an arrest or search; or (b) in the case of property liable to forfeiture upon process issued by the Court following an application made by the Commission in accordance with the prescribed rules.
“Whenever property is seized under any of the provisions of this Act, the Commission may-(a) place the property under seal; or (b) remove the property to a place designated by the Commission.
“Properties taken or detained under this section shall be deemed to be in custody of the Commission, subject only to an order of a Court.”