Kenya Joins Nations Pursuing Funds Stolen by Ex-Leaders

To loot their treasuries, corrupt African leaders have used both simple suitcases and complex financial schemes. But stealing the money has always been far easier than bringing it back home. After recently locating $1 billion in looted taxpayer money hidden overseas, Kenya has begun an uphill effort to reclaim the funds believed stolen during the administration of the former president, Daniel arap Moi. Kenyan officials hope they will gain pointers from the failed attempts of their neighbors. Congo came up virtually empty in its attempt to recover money stolen by Mobutu Seso Seko, the dictator who was chased out by rebels in 1997, and Nigeria is still trying to get its hands on huge sums stashed away in foreign accounts by Sani Abacha, a military ruler who died in 1998. Across Africa, other governments are engaged in similar frustrating efforts. The searches highlight theft on a huge scale, but the hopeful note is that new, more democratic governments are trying to hunt down this money for the public good. Full Story