As UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar cheers on President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi for his success in ushering the impoverished nation onto the next stage of its institutional metamorphosis, the veteran diplomat assured Yemenis that the international community has not forgotten the country’s looted funds.
With Yemen transition of power more or less handled now that the NDC has drawn to a close, Benomar has turned his attention toward enabling Yemen to recover the money which the former regime allegedly embezzled.
While the idea that the impoverished could eventually breathe a sigh of financial relief, should its hundreds of millions of dollars be repatriated back seems very enticing, officials have warned that such a task would very difficult to implement on the ground since it would mean engaging the former regime’s men and other powerful state dignitaries directly in court.
If the great majority of Yemenis do not doubt that Yemen former strongman, President Ali Abdullah Saleh built his financial empire by swindling the country’s resources and abusing his power position, proving it in a court of law remains another matter altogether, especially since the Parliament guaranteed him complete political and judicial immunity. Safe from a voluntary retribution, no institutions in Yemen can for now even attempt to launch an investigation into former President Saleh’s finances and holdings.
That being said; should the Yemeni state or the UN for that matter choose to subpoena former President Saleh’s foreign accounts as to investigate further the origins of all funds, then his immunity would not apply; but this is all very hypothetical.
It safe to say that should Yemen truly seek to recover all looted funds many officials and former officials would stand to lose publicly lose face.