Ibori Risks £100m Seizure, Fresh 10-Year Jail Term In UK


 

A court in the UK is set to order the seizure of more than £100 million ($129 million) from former Delta State Governor James Ibori.

This comes about six years after Ibori’s return to Nigeria after serving a prison sentence for money laundering and fraud charges.

The British authorities had indicted him for stealing public funds and laundering them through UK banks and properties with the trial on confiscation proceedings against Ibori beginning in February 2017.

According to reports, Judge David Tomlinson of Southwark Crown Court has made factual findings regarding the amount of money linked to the former governor.

The prosecution and the defence, during a hearing on Thursday, presented their arguments on how the confiscation figure should be calculated based on the judge’s findings.

Ibori, who returned to Nigeria in 2017 after serving half of his sentence, did not attend the hearing.

The prosecution lawyer, Jonathan Kinnear, told the court that the total amount that should be confiscated from Ibori was 101.5 million pounds, and that if he failed to pay he should face an additional prison term of between five and 10 years.

The judge is expected to conclude and issue an order on Friday or soon after.

In 2011, the 63-year-old former governor was extradited to London from Dubai after fleeing Nigeria.

The following year, Ibori admitted to 10 charges of fraud and money laundering and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Ibori was released from prison on December 21, 2016, upon a court order, Channels Television reported.

The judge, Mrs Juliet May, ordered the immediate release of Ibori, a judgement Ibori’s spokesman, Mr Tony Eluemunor, described as a major victory against the British Home Office, at the Royal Court of Justice, Queens Court 1, London.

Counsel to the Home Office wanted Ibori to remain in detention after he had served his jail term.

But the Crown Prosecution lawyer, Sian Davies, did not object to Ibori’s release and return to Nigeria.

CKN NEWS

Chris Kehinde Nwandu is the Editor In Chief of CKNNEWS || He is a Law graduate and an Alumnus of Lagos State University, Lead City University Ibadan and Nigerian Institute Of Journalism || With over 2 decades practice in Journalism, PR and Advertising, he is a member of several Professional bodies within and outside Nigeria || Member: Institute Of Chartered Arbitrators ( UK ) || Member : Institute of Chartered Mediators And Conciliation || Member : Nigerian Institute Of Public Relations || Member : Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria || Fellow : Institute of Personality Development And Customer Relationship Management || Member and Chairman Board Of Trustees: Guild Of Professional Bloggers of Nigeria

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