Recovering the proceeds of corruption by public officials: A case-study

The restraint, recovery and repatriation of the corruptly acquired assets of public officials are key elements of the fight against corruption. This is a case-study of international efforts to recover the assets of a former Nigerian State Governor. The full range of criminal and civil asset recovery mechanisms were deployed, including criminal confiscation, civil forfeiture and private civil proceedings, according to the country and assets in question, and the changing circumstances of the case. The article contains an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the various asset recovery mechanisms, and summarises the success factors in the case-study under consideration. © ERA 2009.