2^nd September, London – Commenting on the announcement of a deal between the UK and Nigeria to assist the return of stolen assets, Duncan Hames, Director of Policy Transparency International UK, said:

“We have consistently called for coordination between law enforcement agencies to help return assets to the people from whom  they have been stolen. The UK-Nigeria deal is a positive step in this direction, but will only operate effectively if the UK’s own asset recovery regime is fit for purpose in preventing the UK acting as a safe haven for corrupt money. The UK government needs to confirm its commitment to  the introduction of Unexplained Wealth Orders in the forthcoming Criminal Finances Bill, which will allow the authorities, with proper safeguards, to freeze corrupt assets.”

***ENDS***

Contact:
Dominic Kavakeb
Dominic.kavakeb@transparency.org.uk
020 3096 7695
079 6456 0340