The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has clarified that, at no time did the US District Court authorize the seizure of funds belonging to the Nigerian government in the custody of JP Morgan.
The AGF’s clarification was in response to publications by the Peoples Gazette on 21 August 2023, which stated: “UK Court authorizes SSS victim Williams Emovbira to seize $21 million from CBN account with JP Morgan in New York.”
According to Fagbemi, in a statement made available to newsmen Wednesday evening, the US District Court only refused Nigeria’s preliminary motion to dismiss the complaint on the grounds of sovereign immunity.
He stated that the implication of the decision rendered on 12 August 2024 is that the case will now proceed to a substantive hearing on the merits, where parties are required to present evidence and legal submissions in support of their case before the court issues a final decision.
The statement reads, “The Ministry wishes to set the record straight regarding an inaccurate publication by the Peoples Gazette and others alleging that a US District Court has authorized a certain Louis E. Williams to seize $21 million from Nigeria’s account with JP Morgan.
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“None of the media outlets that syndicated the story sought the reaction of the Nigerian government. Indeed, the Ministry challenges these media outlets to publish a copy of the US Court order authorizing the seizure.
“It is pertinent to state that Nigeria has filed an appeal against the interlocutory decision in question.
“Nigeria has launched robust legal defenses and challenges in the UK and US courts against Williams’ claims, including proceedings against him for fraud, and therefore remains confident and optimistic that his attempts to strong-arm the Nigerian government will come to naught,” it added.
