Jersey authorities are preparing to repatriate more than $9.5 million (£7 million) to the Nigerian government, with the funds expected to be applied to infrastructure development.
Jersey, a British Crown Dependency located in the Channel Islands between the United Kingdom and France, reached the latest agreement through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in December between the island’s Attorney General, Mark Temple KC, and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The new MoU builds on two earlier Nigeria–Jersey arrangements under which more than $300 million previously held in a bank account on the island was returned.
Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, said the money would be deployed “in line with the terms” of the agreement.
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“The successful recovery and repatriation of the forfeited assets underscores the effectiveness of Nigeria’s collaborative efforts with its international partners in ensuring that there is no safe haven for illicitly acquired wealth or assets moved to foreign jurisdictions,” the BBC quoted Fagbemi as saying.
Fagbemi added that the recovered funds would be used to support the final stages of a highway project linking Abuja and Lagos.
On his part, Temple described the repatriation as evidence of “the strength of our civil forfeiture legislation as a powerful tool in the fight against corruption”.
In 2024, Jersey’s Royal Court held that the funds were “more likely than not” proceeds of a corrupt arrangement in which third-party contractors diverted public money “for the benefit of senior Nigerian officials and their associates”.
The recovery process began during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, though the repatriation itself was delayed due to legal challenges.