Pursuant to a request for US international mutual assistance in criminal matters, an examining magistrate of the Paris Criminal Court ordered the seizure of USD 144,374,531 from the account of Standard Alliance Financial Services, USD 181,213 from the current account of Rayville International SA and USD 1,103,000 from the term account of Rayville International SA. Following a US request for US international mutual assistance in criminal matters dated from 26 July 2018, the Paris Criminal Court, by judgment dated from 15 January 2021, authorised the enforcement of the US forfeiture order issued by the US District Court for the District of Columbia on 6 August 2014.The judgment was transmitted to the US authorities on 16 December 2021. The Paris public prosecutor's office has also asked the French Agency for the management and recovery of seized and confiscated assets (AGRASC) to enforce the forfeiture order, in accordance with article 706-160 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure.
[Source: France, October 2024]
According to the US Department of Justice, the civil asset forfeiture complaint filed in November 2013 and unsealed in March 2014, "seeks to forfeit bank accounts and investment portfolios with funds located in Bailiwick of Jersey, France and the United Kingdom. On Feb. 25 and 26, 2014, U.S. arrest warrants for the assets were enforced in Jersey and France though mutual legal assistance requests and in the United Kingdom through litigation brought pursuant to the U.K. Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments Act." (Sources: US Department of Justice, Press release, 2014; see also attached court orders)
Asset freezing order: December 2013, United States.
Enforcement of asset freezing order: February 2014, Judicial Tribunal of Paris.
The legal basis for international cooperation was Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Between United States of America and France signed December 10, 1998, U.S.-Fr., Sept. 30, 2004, S. TREATY DOC. NO. 109-13 (2006).
Department of Justice press release on March 5, 2014 noted, "The department appreciates the extensive assistance provided by the Governments of Jersey, France and the United Kingdom in this investigation."
Related to ARW-563 Abacha US civil forfeiture case - Doraville Properties Corporation (Jersey/United States/Nigeria).
Assets Frozen/Seized
| Document Title | Size and Format | Document Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Link | Government report / press release | Go to site | |
| Abacha France Seizure Order Apr 2014 0 | 92.42 KB pdf | Court document | Download |
| Abacha US DDC Forfeiture Complaint Unsealed Mar 2014 0 | 2.25 MB pdf | Court document | Download |
| Abacha US DOJ Asset Forfeiture PR Mar 5 2014 1 | 374.51 KB pdf | Government report / press release | Download |
| Abacha US Forfeit 480 mil DOJ PR Aug 7 2014 3 | 358.45 KB pdf | Government report / press release | Download |
| US v. All Assets Held in Account Number 80020796, in name of Doraville Properties Corporation, at Deutsche Bank Int... | 2.25 MB pdf | Court document | Download |
| Enrico Monfrini, "The Abacha Case," in Mark Pieth, ed., Recovering Stolen Assets (Peter Lang, 2008) | 172.65 KB pdf | Other | Download |