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General News of Wednesday, 24 April 2002

Source: Accra Mail

Transparency International Hold Meeting In Ghana....

to Step Up Campaign for Repatriation of Stolen Funds

Africa Affiliates of Transparency International (TI), the global non-governmental organization devoted to curbing corruption worldwide, has stepped up its campaign for the repatriation of Africa's stolen wealth estimated between 20-40billion dollars.

To this end, Africa Affiliates of TI are meeting in Accra, Ghana, this weekend for a three-day conference to develop an Action Plan that would outline strategies for the repatriation of funds looted from Africa, develop mechanisms to ensure that repatriated funds are not misapplied and make recommendations to forestall further plundering of Africa's wealth.

The Accra conference is a follow up to an earlier one held in Nyanga Zimbabwe during which delegates resolved to spearhead an international campaign for the tracing, recovery and repatriation of Africa's stolen wealth

Swiss authorities said last week that Nigeria was to receive 1 billion dollars 1ooted by Sani Abacha, Nigeria's former dictator, following an out-of-court settlement with the family of Abacha in return for the dropping of money laundering and theft charges against Abacha's son and his father's business associates

The Accra conference which will bring together TI Africa Affiliates from more than 35 countries, is under the theme "Deepening and Sustaining the African Anti-Corruption Agenda: Implementing the Nyanga Declaration".

A number of high-ranking personalities in government, private sector, civil society and the Diplomatic Community will make presentations at the conference that would highlight among other things how to overcome the challenges to the campaign for the repatriation of funds stolen from Africa.