June 24, 2006	Saturday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 27, 1427

ABUJA, June 23: Nigeria’s removal on Friday from a blacklist of countries that do not cooperate in the fight against money laundering should help the country attract greater foreign investment, President Olusegun Obasanjo said. The Paris-based FATF had blacklisted Nigeria in 2001 because its anti-money laundering laws and enforcement regime were weak.

“With today's delisting by the FATF, Nigeria is now free of encumbrances that have the capacity to stifle the inflow of investment and economic growth,” a statement from Obasanjo's office said, adding that the president was “elated”.—Reuters