Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what use has been made of the £180 million in stolen assets recovered with the support of the Department for International Development since 2006.

The process of asset recovery through the criminal justice system involves a number of stages, and in respect to work funded by DFID represents a range of cases which are at different stages of the process. At present, approximately £180m is frozen in connection with DFID-funded law enforcement investigations into the proceeds of grand corruption. Since 2006, these efforts have resulted in the permanent confiscation of £8.4m, of which over £1.1m has been returned to the Government of Nigeria as part of the UK’s obligations under the UN Convention Against Corruption; with the balance of confiscated assets to be returned at the conclusion of all legal proceedings. UK law enforcement investigators continue to gather evidence to progress cases related to the remaining frozen assets