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
extremist group Boko Haram.
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