World Bank To Approve SERAP’s Request On Abacha’s Loot Spending

Last week, it was reported that World Bank requested for more time to respond to SERAP’s request (Read Here), news reaching us today states that the World Bank has agreed to consider a request  made by civil society organization, Socioeconomic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), seeking  additional information on how the money recovered from the late dictator was spent.

This information was contained in a statement issued in Lagos  yesterday by SERAP and signed by the organization’s executive director, Adetokunbo Mumuni.

According to SERAP, the World Bank decision was as a result of an appeal the organization lodged with the bank on February 5, 2016 on the ground that the bank’s decision on its initial request did not reveal “important portions of the information requested on how the Abacha loot was spent”.

Based on the development,  the International Financial Institution has referred the portion of the appeal filed by SERAP, to which adequate information has not been provided, to the Bank Archives Unit for processing for public access.

The organisation states that “the Bank Access to Information Committee (AIC) in its Decision on appeal issued in Case number AI3982-A dated 29 April 2016, and sent to SERAP held that although the appeal  of the organisation was not filed within 60 days of the Bank’s decision as required by its Access to Information Policy, SERAP appeal nonetheless “contains a request for additional information, not previously submitted by the requester, and which the Bank has neither considered nor denied.  Accordingly, the AIC refers back to the Archives Unit this portion of the appeal for processing for public access.”

“The portion of the appeal which the Bank has now referred to its Archives Unit for public access include information on evidence and list of the 23 projects allegedly completed with recovered Abacha loot, and whether the 23 projects where actually completed; and what became of the 2 abandoned projects; evidence and location of the 8 health centers built with recovered Abacha loot reviewed by the World Bank; and evidence and location of the 18 power projects confirmed by the World Bank.”