The Federal Government of Nigeria has debunked reports going round that it will pay the Swiss government $79m as commission as part of condition for the repatriation of Abacha loot.
A statement from the government said: “The attention of the Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has been drawn to a misleading report published in the Saturday edition of a national newspaper, December 10, which erroneously claimed that the Federal Government has agreed to pay a $79 million commission to the Swiss government as part of conditions for repatriation of the Abacha loot.
The Minister of Finance clarified that the amount payable to Nigeria from Switzerland is $321 million, and is being returned to Nigeria for projects which are subject to verification by the World Bank. The recovery process is ongoing with the Swiss authorities and the World Bank has agreed to undertake the required verification.
She stated that there is no deduction of $79 million as suggested in the report which is both “misleading and inaccurate”. She assured that recovery will be made in full and that there is neither commitment nor requirement to pay any commission.
