Ibori battles $129m confiscation order in London

Former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, has vowed to fight for justice as a London court is set to order the confiscation of 100 million pounds ($129 million) from him.

A state prosecutor had on Thursday told the Southwark Crown Court to order the confiscation of the money.

Ibori was extradited in 2011 from Dubai to London, where he was charged with laundering a corruptly acquired fortune.

He pleaded guilty in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and money-laundering and received a 13-year jail sentence.

The court outcome was hailed by Britain as a landmark in the struggle against corruption; Britain is a global money-laundering hub.

But after more than a decade of legal wrangling and court delays, attempts by prosecutors to confiscate funds considered to be the benefits of Ibori’s criminality now appear close to conclusion.

Judge David Tomlinson of Southwark Crown Court has made factual findings regarding the funds.

At a hearing on Thursday, both sides made competing arguments about how the confiscation figure should be calculated, taking into account the judge’s findings. He is expected to finalise and formally issue his order on Friday or shortly afterwards.

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Lead prosecution counsel Jonathan Kinnear told the court that the total amount that should be confiscated from Ibori was 101.5 million pounds, and that if he did not pay up he should be sentenced to between five and 10 years in prison.

Having served half of his prison sentence in pre- and post-trial detention, as is common, Ibori returned to Nigeria in 2017 and did not attend Thursday’s hearing.

Meanwhile, Ibori has expressed reservation about the planned confiscation order.

He vowed to seek justice on appeal.

He said: “Finally, the shenanigan’s in the Southwark Crown Court are drawing to a close.

“Judge Tomlinson is due to make a confiscation order which should be both realisable and not punitive. However, after what transpired in court today (Thursday) my hopes are rapidly fading for any degree of fairness.

“In the two years it has taken to write this judgement it seems apparent that he has forgotten many of the salient points and is prioritising expediency over justice. The next steps will be to take my fight for justice to the highest courts in the UK.”

The Star