The World Bank has partially denied an appeal by a Nigerian group for information about allegedly embezzled funds.
The World Bank said the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) was 15 days too late to appeal and thus declined to examine SERAP’s contention that the Bank had failed to provide all of the requested information.
However, the Bank said in a three-page decision that some of material requested in the appeal had not been previously requested and that the Bank Archives Unit would respond as if it was a new request.
The group sought “documents relating to spending of recovered assets stolen by Late General Sani Abacha and the Bank’s role in the implementation of any projects funded by the recovered assets and any other ongoing repatriation initiatives on Nigeria with which the Bank is engaged.”
SERAP said in a statement: “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”.
Filed under: IFTI Watch