Efter det arabiske forår: Hvor er herskernes millioner henne?

Forfatter billede

Det kan tage årtier at opspore og få returneret bare nogle af de penge, som på den ene eller anden måde er fraranet arabiske landes statskasser af væltede præsidenter og andre i deres inderkreds.

Af Jean Pesme, Verdensbanken

In December 2010, the Arab Spring began with a call for a change, which ended up becoming a reality in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and later on Yemen.

The restoration of justice is now a priority focus in all these countries. In the minds of many citizens, justice means the return of funds looted (plyndret) by officials over decades of high-level government corruption.

The tenor of recent news reports shows that throughout the region, the public’s patience for the process is wearing thin.

But the reality is that the asset recovery process is a long and often difficult road, one that must be traveled even long after the euphoria of regime change has dimmed. We know that from our engagements with client countries, and from many headline-making cases.

For example, according to StAR’s Asset Recovery Watch, although former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos was deposed in 1986, the attempts to recover his allegedly stolen wealth continue to the present day.

Meanwhile, a new case against Nigerian Dictator Sani Abacha, who died in 1998, was launched in Luxembourg just this year.

Læs videre på
http://blogs.worldbank.org/psd/moving-forward-with-recovering-arab-stolen-assets

Jean Pesme er Manager for Financial Market Integrity i Verdensbanken

Han har skrevet denne blog på Verdensbankens website d. 7. september 2012.

Fra www.worldbank.org

The Financial Market Integrity (FMI) service line lies within the World Bank Group’s Financial and Private Sector Development Network.

FMI is an integral part of the World Bank Group’s on-going global work on governance and financial sector development, through the “follow the illicit (ulovlige) money” angle.

Jean Pesme’s diverse World Bank Group portfolio includes country assessments, delivery of technical assistance, and preparation of policy development reports.

Prior to joining the World Bank, Jean Pesme worked on Anti Money Laundering (AML) and anti-corruption issues. He is a French Citizen and resides in Washington DC.