I’m order to recover part of the monies looted by former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, the Federal Government has reportedly agreed to pay the Government of Switzerland the sum of $79m, The Punch reports.

The Chairman of the Civil Society Network Against Corruption, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraj, made the disclosure dhis during a seminar to commemorate the 2016 International Anti-Corruption Day in Abuja on Friday.

In July the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Eric Mayoraz, said his country would return $321m out of the Abacha loot to Nigeria.

However, Suraj, who was a member of a panel of discussants, said the original figure that was meant to be returned to Nigeria was about $400m.

He said, “Unfortunately, the government goes to beg countries to get our money back rather than making demands, we appeal for the money and beg them to return it. We are fed with half information such that we even assume that we actually recover the amount stolen.

“I had a very funny experience and it is still ongoing. The $321m that the Swiss Government is meant to return to Nigeria, we discovered three weeks ago that the original money was about $400m. The legal process in Switzerland actually charged the Nigerian Government about $79m and that is why we are receiving $321m.

“The $321m is now to be returned to Nigeria with the condition that the World Bank will monitor how the funds will be spent. I cannot imagine anything more insulting.”

Attempts to speak with the spokesperson for the Swiss Embassy, Mr. Pascal Holliger, proved abortive as telephone calls were not responded to while he had yet to respond to a text message as of press time.

In June Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Geoffrey Onyeama, had said the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo paid the Swiss Government over $100m as commission for the return of Abacha’s loot.

He had said, “If you remember the Abacha loot in Switzerland at the time, Obasanjo’s government had to finally agree to give them 10 per cent of the amount. This was about $100m and so they returned $900m to Nigeria.

“If they (Swiss Government) had not agreed and said they wanted to keep the whole money, it would have been very difficult for us and that is why the anti-corruption summit and the initiative of President Muhammadu Buhari is really focused on these western countries to remove some of those barriers and lengthy procedures that are in place and make it possible for these people to delay (the payment).”