US Reimburse FG Alamieyeseigha’s Stolen $954,000

The United States Government has reimbursed the Federal Government the sum of $954,000 stolen by the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard stated this, Thursday in Abuja during a press briefing.

She said that the former governor’s official pay during his time working for the government from 1999 until his impeachment in 2005 did not correspond to the stated sum.

“However, during that time, he accumulated millions of dollars through abuse of office, money laundering,” Leonard said.

The immediate directive from President Muhammadu Buhari is that the aforementioned amount is used to improve Bayelsa’s healthcare system.

Alamieyeseigha was the elected governor of the oil-producing Bayelsa State from 1999 until his impeachment in 2005. 

The Department of Justice had reported that the U.S. forfeiture complaint, has alleged Alamieyeseigha’s official salary for this entire period was approximately $81,000, and his declared income from all sources during the period was approximately $248,000.  

However, while governor, Alamieyeseigha accumulated millions of dollars worth of property located around the world through corruption and other illegal activities.  After his impeachment in Nigeria, Alamieyeseigha pleaded guilty in Nigeria for, among other things, failure to disclose a bank account in Florida and also pleaded guilty on behalf of his shell companies to money laundering violations.

As further alleged in the complaint, the funds forfeited were held in an investment account in Boston that was fraudulently opened in the name of Nicholas Aiyegbemi and was traceable to the undisclosed Alamieyeseigha account in Florida. 

Alamieyeseigha died in October 2015 at the age of 62.