The
conviction of a former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, for fraud and
money laundering remained valid despite evidence that a British police officer
took bribes during the investigation of his case, Reuters quoted Britain’s state prosecution
agency to have said this on Thursday.
Ibori,
who served as the governor of Delta State between 1999 and 2007, is currently
serving a 13-year jail term in a British prison after pleading guilty in 2012
to 10 counts of fraud and money laundering.
But
the case has become an embarrassment for Britain since one of Ibori’s
associates, convicted money-launderer Bhadresh Gohil, alleged that the judicial
process was tainted because prosecutors had covered up evidence of police corruption.
Authorities
initially denied everything and charged Gohil with perverting the course of
justice, but that prosecution was abruptly dropped in January.
In
May, the Crown Prosecution Service said it had found “material (evidence) to
support the assertion that a police officer received payment in return for
information.”
After
an internal review of the case lasting months, the CPS said on Thursday that
while the material “should have been disclosed to the defence,” that did not
call into question the validity of the convictions of Ibori, Gohil and others.
Ibori’s
lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gohil’s lawyer
said he could not comment for legal reasons.
Court
proceedings on the confiscation of Ibori’s assets are still dragging through
the courts, and lawyers for Ibori and Gohil could use the next court hearing to
challenge the findings of the CPS review.
Ibori
first came to the attention of British police in 1991, when he was working as a
cashier at Wickes, a home improvement chainstore in London, and was caught
stealing from the till.
After
returning to Nigeria, he became involved in politics. As governor of Delta
State, he amassed a huge fortune and became a power-broker in the then ruling
Peoples Democratic Party the country.
The
charges to which Ibori pleaded guilty amounted to the theft of about $80m.
Prosecutors said that was only part of his total booty, which was kept hidden
via a complex web of shell companies, offshore accounts and front men.
During
his sentencing in 2012, the court heard that he had enjoyed a lavish lifestyle
involving foreign properties and a fleet of luxury cars. At the time of his
arrest, he had been trying to buy a $20m private jet.
Source:Reuters..The Punch
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