United States authorities said it will resume legal proceedings to seize over $150 million allegedly laundered by Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

Bloomberg reported that Bagudu, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), made a failed attempt for an out-of-court settlement with US authorities.

The U.S. alleges that the Kebbi State governor Bagudu was part of a network controlled by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha that misappropriated billions of dollars from state coffers in the 1990s.

Bagudu’s brother Ibrahim, who is entitled to an annuity from the assets, is challenging the forfeiture in a federal court in Washington.

US authorities and the Bagudu family obtained a stay of the judgement in 2020 to enable the parties to negotiate a resolution but with no agreement reached, the case is set to resume, according to court documents dated March 2.

Ibrahim is, however, optimistic that an out-of-court settlement is still possible with US and UK government officials.

A UK court had frozen the family’s investment portfolios in 2014 following a request from the U.S

The Nigerian government in 2019 said it is unable to assist the US in the case. It claimed it is bound by a settlement Bagudu reached with a previous Nigerian government in 2003.

Bagudu’s agreement with the Nigerian government reportedly allowed him to return $163 million to the Nigerian authorities, which in exchange dropped all outstanding civil and criminal claims against him, according to court filings.

In 2018, Nigeria government under President Muhammadu Buhari and Bagudu had a new agreement in 2018 for the ownership of the investment portfolios worth 141 million euros ($154 million) in late 2019 transferred to the Nigerian state, which would then pay 98.5 million euros to Bagudu and his affiliates, according to U.S. court documents.

Buhari’s administration has since applied to the U.K. court to unfreeze the assets.

US DoJ in February 2020 said it requested the Nigerian government to withdraw litigation it had commenced in the U.K. that was hindering its efforts to forfeit laundered funds held in Bagudu’s name.

US authorities in return opposed plans by the Nigerian government to give $100 million from loots recovered from Abacha to Bagudu.

DoJ said Bagudu was involved in corruption with the late Abacha who Transparency International (TI) said may have looted as much as $5 billion during his 1993-98 rule in Nigeria.

It accused the Nigerian government of hindering U.S. efforts to recover allegedly laundered money it said was traced to Bagudu.

https://guardian.ng/news/united-states-proceed-with-case-to-seize-150m-linked-to-atiku-bagudu/

This is unbelievable.

[img]https://i./3OJxU.gif[/img]

Tinubu should be next.

US should request extradition of the urinating okpolo -eyed idiot.

Hey fee cee

If Bagudu is from the other side of the divide, buhari would ask US to extradite and prosecute him. Now anyone thinking of extradiction is day~dreaming because buhari said that abacha is not corrupt. That he did not steal nigeria money. Yet he is still receiving trenches of looted fund.

Mumu , they will steal money from here go save another country.

This case is still hanging.To think that the crook in this case is a so called governor today in Nigeria even being defended by the most sanctimonious anti-corruption czar tells a lot of how corruption is rooted in this failed entity. Meanwhile, same hypocrite said "Abacha never stole a dime.

Penguin2:
Tinubu should be next. US should request extradition of the urinating okpolo -eyed idiot.

Tinubu will not be next because he is not a thief. Since 2007 that he left office as Lagos state governor till date(14) the man has not been extradited but when he decides to contest as president children of hate remembered his matter. Are you people afraid he might actually win?

Nigerian politicians wey dey always loot US dollar, it seems they do not know even though they do not commit the crime in the USA, so far the money you steal nah US dollar, them fit drag case with you cause you launder US dollar.

And he's now a saint since he's an APC member.

Media propaganda adopted by the APC to launder images of hardened crooks among them won't last long.

DSS, NFIU or EFCC would have invited him for questioning if he were to be in opposition party or a Buhari's critics.

Abacha, Buhari's best buddy!
The joke is actually on their supporters

Praxis758:
And he's now a saint since he's an APC member.Media propaganda adopted by the APC to launder images of hardened crooks among them won't last long.

DSS, NFIU or EFCC would have invited him for questioning if he were to be in opposition party or a Buhari's critics.

"..We can see, therefore, that President Buhari’s anti-corruption fervour is merely self-serving. He regards only his political opponents as having the copyright on corruption. By this token, every allegation of corruption leveled against his friends and financiers must be “baseless.” https://opinion.premiumtimesng.com/2018/10/23/president-buhari-is-not-against-corruption-by-femi-aribisala/
Sarrki, Seunmsg, , NgeneUkwenu

All the enemies of Nigeria will lose las las. They always lose. God bless Nigeria for ever.