The World Bank looks set to release more information on the spending of<\/p>\n
recovered loot by late General Sani Abacha as \u201cit has referred portion of
\nappeal by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to the
\nBank Archives Unit for processing for public access.\u201d<\/p>\n
This development was disclosed today in a statement by SERAP executive
\ndirector Adetokunbo Mumuni. This followed the appeal the organisation
\nlodged with the Bank on 5 February 2016 on the ground that the Bank\u2019s
\ndecision on its initial request did not reveal \u201cimportant portions of the
\ninformation requested on how Abacha loot was spent.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Mumuni, the Bank Access to Information Committee (AIC) in its
\nDecision on appeal issued in Case number AI3982-A dated 29 April 2016, and
\nsent to SERAP held that although the appeal by the organisation was not
\nfiled within 60 days of the Bank\u2019s decision as required by its Access to
\nInformation Policy, SERAP appeal nonetheless \u201ccontains a request for
\nadditional information, not previously submitted by the requester, and
\nwhich the Bank has neither considered nor denied. Accordingly, the AIC
\nrefers back to the Archives Unit this portion of the appeal for processing
\nfor public access.\u201d<\/p>\n
SERAP statement reads in part: \u201cThe portion of the appeal which the Bank
\nhas now referred to its Archives Unit for public access include
\ninformation on: evidence and list of the 23 projects allegedly completed
\nwith recovered Abacha loot, and whether the 23 projects where actually
\ncompleted; and what became of the 2 abandoned projects; evidence and
\nlocation of the 8 health centers built with recovered Abacha loot reviewed
\nby the World Bank; and evidence and location of the 18 power projects
\nconfirmed by the World Bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOther aspects of the spending of Abacha loot the Bank referred to its
\nArchives Unit for processing for public access are: information on: how
\nthe $50mn Abacha loot received before 2005 kept in the special account was
\nspent; evidence and location of schools which benefited from the Universal
\nBasic Education (UBE) program in the amount of NGN24.25bn; and evidence
\nand location of the 13 road projects completed with the recovered Abacha
\nloot, including the names of the 3 of the largest road and bridge projects
\nin each geo-political zone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reacting to the Bank\u2019s appeal decision, Adetokunbo Mumuni said, \u201cIt\u2019s
\ntrite law that no procedural requirements should ever be made a tool to
\ndeny justice or perpetuate injustice. SERAP therefore welcomes the
\ndecision by the World Bank not to allow technicalities (regarding its
\nrequirement of 60 days within which to file an appeal to it) stand in the
\nway of substantial justice, and truth on the spending of recovered Abacha
\nloot as to do otherwise would have amounted to a miscarriage of justice
\nfor millions of Nigerians who are victims of corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe now hope that the Bank Archives Unit will move swiftly to allow public
\naccess to the information requested, as directed by the Access to
\nInformation Committee. Any further delay in disclosing the information
\nwill delay justice to the Nigerian people. And justice delayed is justice
\ndenied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this respect, SERAP calls on Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala former Finance
\nMinister who coordinated the Bank\u2019s report to assist the Archives Unit in
\nits task for speedy disclosure of evidence and locations of projects on
\nwhich recovered Abacha loot was spent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also seize this opportunity to call on the government of President
\nMuhammadu Buhari to immediately obey the judgment by Honourable Justice
\nMohammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos which ordered publication
\nof the spending of recovered stolen funds by the governments of former
\nPresident Olusegun Obasanjo, former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and
\nformer President Goodluck Jonathan.\u201d<\/p>\n
The World Bank AIC appeal decision reads in part: \u201cSummary of Decision:
\nThe Access to Information Committee (\u201cAIC\u2019) found that the appeal is not
\nproperly before the AIC for consideration. The appeal in this case was
\nfiled 75 calendar days after the Bank\u2019s initial decision. Under the Bank
\nPolicy on Access to Information, appeals to the AIC must be filed within
\n60 calendar days of the Bank\u2019s decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNotwithstanding the above, the AIC found that the appeal contains a
\nrequest for additional information, not previously submitted by the
\nrequester, and which the Bank has neither considered nor denied.
\nAccordingly, the AIC refers back to the Archives Unit this portion of the
\nappeal for processing for public access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Decision Facts: On September 21, 2015, the requester submitted a
\nrequest (\u201cRequest\u201d) for \u201cdocuments relating to spending of recovered
\nassets stolen by Late General Sani Abacha and the Bank\u2019s role in the
\nimplementation of any projects funded by the recovered assets and any
\nother on-going repatriation initiatives on Nigeria with which the Bank is
\nengaged.\u201d On November 25, 2015, the World Bank (\u201cBank\u201d) responded to the
\nRequest by providing the requester with 11documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn February 8, 2016, the secretariat to the Access to Information
\nCommittee received an application (\u201cApplication\u201d) appealing the Bank\u2019s
\ndecision. The Application challenges the Bank\u2019s decision on both a
\n\u201cviolation of policy\u201d and \u201cpublic interest\u201d basis. The Application
\nstates, in relevant part, the following: [Intentionally omitted] is
\nsending this Appeal to the AI Appeals Board against the World Bank
\ndecision dated 25 November 2015 to provide patently insufficient
\ninformation on the spending of recovered stolen funds by the late General
\nSani Abacha.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe consider this a serious violation of the AI Policy, as it amounts to
\nimproper or unreasonable restriction of access to
\ninformation.[\u2026]Following receipt of several documents from the World Bank
\ntotalling over 700 pages on the Abacha loot, [intentionally omitted]
\ncommenced independent investigations and verification of some of the
\ninformation supplied with appropriate agencies and institutions of
\ngovernment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFindings and Related Decision: In reviewing the Application in accordance
\nwith the AI Policy, the AIC considered: (a) the Request; (b) the
\nApplication; (b) the date of the Bank\u2019s initial decision; and (c) the date
\nwhen the Application was filed before the AIC. In this case, the Bank\u2019s
\nresponse was issued on November 25, 2015. The Application was filed with
\nthe AIC on February 8, 2016, i.e., 75 calendar days after the Bank\u2019s
\ninitial decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder the Bank Policy: Access to Information, July 1, 2015, Catalogue No.
\nEXC4.01-POL.01 (\u201cAI Policy\u201d), appeals to the AIC \u2018must be filed (…)
\nwithin 60 calendar days of the Bank\u2019s decision to deny access to the
\nrequested information\u2019 (see AI Policy, at Section III.C.8 (b) i). In view
\nof this requirement, the Application is not properly before the AIC for
\nconsideration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNotwithstanding the above, the AIC found that the Application contains a
\nrequest for additional information, not previously submitted by the
\nrequester, and which the Bank has neither considered nor denied.
\nAccordingly, the AIC refers back to the Archives Unit this portion of the
\nApplication for processing as a new request for public access.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The World Bank looks set to release more information on the spending of recovered loot by late General Sani Abacha as \u201cit has referred portion of appeal by Socio-Economic Rights…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n