A U.S. District Court in New York has granted Nigerian businessman Louis Emovbira Williams permission to withdraw $21 million from Nigeria’s JP Morgan account.
The funds were originally from crude oil sales and stem from a decades-long legal battle.
Williams was swindled out of $6.5 million in a 1986 food importation deal with the Nigerian government and endured imprisonment and torture.
Despite a 1993 presidential pardon and an agreement to repay him with interest, Nigeria never fulfilled its obligation.
Williams filed lawsuits in the UK and US, leading to a 2018 UK court order to seize $21 million. Nigeria’s claim of sovereign immunity was rejected, as it had waived this right in a prior agreement.
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The Nigerian government plans to appeal the ruling, continuing the legal dispute.
Williams aims to use the recovered funds for children’s health and education in Nigeria.
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