WEST AFRICA/NIGERIA: UK PLANS TO INCREASE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LONDON 001229

SIPDIS

DOJ FOR JOHN RUSCH
DEPARTMENT FOR INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/22/2019
TAGS: PREL SNAR SMIG KCOR KCRM KFRD NI XY UK
SUBJECT: WEST AFRICA/NIGERIA: UK PLANS TO INCREASE
ANTI-CRIME, ANTI-DRUG SUPPORT; CONTINUE WORK WITH EFCC IN
NIGERIA

REF: A. 08 LONDON 2499

B. 08 LONDON 3165

C. 08 LONDON 2917

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Classified By: Political Counselor Richard Mills, reasons 1.4 (b/d).


1. (C) Summary. To stem drug trafficking, money laundering,
and immigration fraud in West Africa that directly affects
the UK, the UK's Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) plans
to increase its presence and support to the region, including
through opening a new office in Senegal in October 2009, SOCA
Africa program officers Mike Davey and Colin Woodcock told
Poloff and visiting Nigeria Desk Officer on May 20. SOCA
aims to build local capacity in combating organized crime.
SOCA plans to continue its working-level coordination with
Nigeria's Economic and Finance Crimes Commission (EFCC) in
spite of the EFCC's refusal to move on high-level political
cases because of some prior EFCC fraud operations have
resulted in halting or interdicting contraband or frauds
worth millions of Pounds. SOCA and the UK High Commission,
however, will continue to push the EFCC to do more on
high-level political cases. SOCA welcomes greater
cooperation with the USG on programming in the region. The
UK's domestic concerns about fraud will likely continue to
trump any UK interest in taking a hard-line stance on
high-level political corruption in Nigeria. End Summary.

SOCA: Doing More in West Africa
--------------


2. (C) From its current offices in Nigeria, Ghana, and Sierra
Leone, the UK Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) has had
anti-drug trafficking, anti-money laundering, and
anti-immigration fraud successes such that it plans to
increase its programming in the region and open a fourth
office in Senegal in October 2009, SOCA Africa program
officers Mike Davey and Colin Woodcock told Poloff and
visiting Nigeria Desk Officer May 20. SOCA aims to build
local capacity through its field offices to combat organized
crime and conduct joint anti-fraud operations on an ad hoc
basis. Davey cited as an example the operation, conducted
jointly with U.S. authorities in 2006 in Nigeria, that
resulted in the seizures of hundreds of fraudulently obtained
Nigerian passports, the return to the UK Government of GBP
1.5 million (USD 2.25 million) in fraudulently obtained
social security benefits, and the halting of an estimated GBP
4.5 million (USD 6.75 million) in other criminal activities.


3. (C) Successes like these that directly benefit the UK
Government coffers, Davey explained, have resulted in SOCA's
push to expand its operations in the region, especially in
local capacity building and e-crime related activity. Davey
said SOCA will install a customs scanning facility in Ghana
in June, which should benefit coverage of Benin and Togo as
well because of centralized mail systems. SOCA also plans to
do more in the region on anti-drug trafficking and welcomes
greater cooperation with the USG on programming in the
region.

Nigeria: Continue to Work with the EFCC
--------------


4. (C) Given the success SOCA has had on working-level
operations with Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC),Davey said the UK Government will continue
to work closely with the EFCC in spite of the EFCC's
reticence to prosecute high-level political cases. Davey
noted that SOCA and the UK High Commission in Nigeria will
continue to press the EFCC to do more on high-level political
cases, but said that both the U.S. and UK had benefited from
anti-fraud cooperation with the EFCC. Davey said the EFCC
had recently concluded MOUs with Yahoo, Google, and
Microsoft, and SOCA plans to expand cooperation on e-crime.
Davey noted that the new Director of the EFCC's Financial
Intelligence Unit (FIU) seems "very keen, but has not been
great on follow-through."

Comment
--------------


5. (C) As described in reftels, the UK's complicated
relations with Nigeria on criminal and legal issues
(including the corruption case in the UK against former Niger
Delta State Governor James Ibori) has caused the UK
Government to take a very pragmatic view in its relations
with Nigeria on crime, fraud, and corruption. Given the
level of Nigeria-based graft affecting the UK Government's

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benefit systems and individual Britons themselves, we
anticipate domestic concerns will continue to trump any UK
interesting in taking a hard-line stance on high-level
political corruption in Nigeria.


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