US agrees to repatriate over $300 million embezzled by Sani Abacha

The United States agrees to repatriate more than 300 million dollars embezzled by Sani Abacha. According to the United States Department of Justice, these are assets diverted by the former Nigerian military leader.

These funds were confiscated following a complaint filed in 2014 by the Nigerian Ministry of Justice. The lawsuit alleged that Sani Abacha and his associates had embezzled billions of dollars from the government of Nigeria before laundering them through American financial institutions.

The repatriation of this money was part of an agreement between the United States, Jersey, an island under British administration, considered a tax haven, and Nigeria. The funds will be used to support three infrastructure projects, including a highway in the southwest, a road in the north and a bridge in central Nigeria.

The Nigerian justice ministry says it is still trying to recover an additional $174 million from the United Kingdom and France. Sani Abacha came to power in a military coup in 1993, ruled the country until his death in 1998.