South Africa is considering returning more than R100-million
in Nigerian money that it confiscated last year, or clearing the way to sell
arms to the West African country.
The Mail & Guardian has learned through diplomatic
sources that South Africa has begun talks to work out a process to return the
money in an effort to start off on a clean slate with the recently elected
government of the Nigerian president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari.
South African law enforcement agencies seized $15-million in
two batches: $5.7-million that had been wired to Standard Bank and $9.3-million
in cash, which was confiscated. It was brought into the country through
Lanseria airport in Johannesburg in three suitcases by a delegation said to
represent the Nigerian government. In both cases, the money was suspected to be
for illegal use.
Now South Africa wants to use the money to extend an olive
branch to Buhari’s government and mend relations between the two countries,
which became strained during the tenure of outgoing president Goodluck
Jonathan.
“The positive thing about [Buhari] is that one of the people
who supported him is Atiku Abubakar. That makes him our man and he will
automatically work well with [President Jacob] Zuma,” a government source said.
Close connection
Abubakar is close to Zuma. He was Nigeria’s deputy president
during the presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo, at the time when Zuma was Thabo
Mbeki’s deputy.
“Also, this man [Buhari] is a [retired] military general. It
is true that the military needs some beefing up to fight Boko Haram and we
should help,” the source added.
So how will Nigeria know that it stands to benefit from an
otherwise controversial transaction that had exacerbated tensions between the
two countries?
Explained the government source: “Diplomatically you send a
signal. Obviously they will have to make a request once they receive a positive
signal, but the request will just be an official step to finalising the
transaction.”
Buhari is due to take over the leadership of the country
after winning the recent elections. Formal talks have not yet begun but South
Africa has apparently started sending “positive signals” through its diplomats
in Nigeria and to the Nigerian embassy in Pretoria.
Diplomatically favourable
To ensure that the process of returning the money or
regularising the sale of arms looks as clean as possible, the Hawks
investigation will continue, the source said, but will be managed politically
to reach a conclusion that is diplomatically favourable.
“One way is to make the investigators say: ‘Yes, a law has
been broken, but it’s true that the government [of Nigeria] is the owner of
that money and genuinely wanted to buy arms legally. They might have flouted
the rules, but it’s a genuine transaction.’ [We will say] this money does not
come from dirty hands or rebels or arms dealers,” the source said.
“We will find a way to regularise the transaction and either
return the money or give them arms.”
Nigeria wanted to buy arms such as helicopters and ammunition
to strengthen its fight against Islamic extrimist group, the Boko Haram.
Metro naija
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