This blog is part of a series monitoring the utilisation of Nigeria’s recovered assets. The series is a follow-up to our latest article on Nigeria. This blog was prepared by Oluwatosin Fatoyinbo. The recent return of $322 million to Nigeria from Switzerland have led to new fears among citizens and reignited the debate on[…]
This blog is a part of our Ukraine series – written and researched by Michael Howard. The day Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia in 2014 the entire Ukrainian treasury had a few thousand dollars. During 4 years in power, he and his cronies allegedly looted billions from the country (some say as much as[…]
Nigeria is likely one of the most politically active countries worldwide in its efforts to recover its assets looted through corruption. The current government of Muhammadu Buhari has particularly put the fight against corruption in Nigeria and the recovery of stolen assets at the forefront of its political agenda. Over the past three years, the[…]
CiFAR travelled to Nigeria last June to understand what civil society is doing to recover Nigerian stolen assets and to connect with them. It was a very inspiring experience to see many people who have no fear to raise their voice on how asset once stolen by corrupt officials and returned to Nigeria belong to[…]
Tunisia’s parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a controversial law granting “reconciliation” to public officials involved in corruption who served in government during the rule of the autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. This law, which for many critics is simply an amnesty for criminals and a way to rehabilitate Ben Ali’s allies back into[…]
One could argue that former Ukrainian president Yanukovych is a model case for major public asset theft, how to profit from the secrecy of the global financial system and on the failures and hurdles in recovering those assets. Money, money, money, money While credible estimates are as always difficult, if not impossible to make, it[…]
“A robust international framework for quick restitution of stolen assets is long overdue” Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria at the OECD, 30 March 2017. Last week we were at the OECD for the 2017 Global Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum, an event billed as a follow-on to the 2016 London Anti-Corruption Conference and bringing[…]
It was the anger against the widespread corruption of Mubarak’s regime that brought millions of Egyptians on the streets in early 2011. In the aftermath of the revolution, Egyptians put a lot of hopes that they would get back the billions of Euros stolen by Mubarak and his family to invest them in building[…]
Many people are discussing passionately what the Trump era will look like. We should ask ourselves: what will happen to US policies on recovering stolen assets? Will the US administration continue in its anti-corruption efforts worldwide? Although we should wait to see what happens, the premises are far from promising. Many have criticised the conflicts[…]
Zine el Abidine Ben Ali fled Tunisia in January 2011 following popular protests which ended his 23-year rule at the start of what became known as the Arab Spring. It is no secret how the ruler and his family enriched themselves during that period. The World Bank estimates the wealth of the Ben Ali family[…]