Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called on African governments to return stolen assets to the original owners.
CISLAC made the call alongside the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and Transparency International (TI).
Speaking at the Global South Forum for Asset Recovery, in Nairobi, Kenya, the Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, charged governments, anti-graft and law enforcement agencies in Africa to ensure that the original victims of stolen assets were given back assets stolen from their states when recovered.
Rafsanjani condemned the practice of ‘marginalising’ the original victims of stolen assets when recovered by governments across the continent.
He sighted the case between the Nigerian government and Delta State, as well as the mismanaged Covid-19 funds in Kenya.
According to Rafsanjani, who spoke on behalf of TMG TI, if not properly checked, the assets risk being re-stolen by officials who do not mean well for their country.
The CISLAC boss noted that it is essential for citizens of states to benefit from assets stolen away from them by corrupt leaders.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) Economic Development in Africa Report 2020, every year, an estimated $88.6 billion, equivalent to 3.7 percent of Africa’s GDP leaves the continent in illicit capital flight.
African countries were charged to come up with legal frameworks for the management of recovered assets.
Photo source: UNCTAD
