UPDATE: UK may confiscate $129m belonging to Ibori
A prosecutor on Thursday asked a London court to order the confiscation of more than 100 million pounds ($129 million) from Nigerian politician and former Delta state governor James Ibori, Reuters reports.
Ibori had previous convictions for fraud in the UK and the former governor spent years in prison in Britain.
Ibori was extradited in 2011 from Dubai to London, where he was charged with laundering a "bribe-acquired fortune".
He pleaded guilty in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and money laundering and was sentenced to 13 years in prison, a result hailed by Britain as a milestone in the fight against corruption.
With its highly developed financial and legal services and lucrative property market, Britain is a global hub for money laundering, but the foreign kleptocrats it attracts are rarely prosecuted and Ibori's case remains an aberration.
After more than a decade of legal wrangling and court delays, prosecutors' attempts to confiscate funds believed to be the proceeds of Ibori's fraudulent activities now appear to be nearing conclusion.
Judge David Tomlinson of Southwark Crown Court made findings of fact regarding the funds.
At a hearing on Thursday, the two sides made conflicting arguments about how the forfeiture figure should be calculated, taking into account the judge's findings.
He should finalize and officially issue his order on Friday or shortly thereafter.
Lead prosecution lawyer Jonathan Kinnear told the court that the total amount that should be confiscated from Ibori was £101.5 million and that if he did not pay he should be sentenced to between five and 10 years in prison.
Having served half his prison sentence in pre-trial and post-trial detention, as is often the case, Ibori returned to Nigeria in 2017 and did not attend Thursday's hearing.
He told Reuters via text message that he planned to appeal the confiscation order.
Ibori remains influential and well-connected in Nigerian politics. President Bola Tinubu, who was sworn in in May, hosted Ibori twice at the presidential villa, along with other former governors.
Britain has pledged to return any money recovered from Ibori to Nigeria. In 2021, he returned £4.2 million that had been confiscated from Ibori's ex-wife and her sister, who also served time in prison for helping him launder money.
But reacting to Thursday's proceedings on its Facebook page, the former Delta government said its hopes were "fading fast" for a fair hearing.
He also announced his intention to seek redress and fight for justice in the highest courts in the UK.
He said: "Finally the shenanigans at Southwark Crown Court are coming to an end. Judge Tomlinson must make an order of forfeiture which should be both workable and non-punitive.
“However, after what happened in court today, my hopes for fairness are quickly fading.
"In the 2 years it took to write this judgment, it seems obvious that he overlooked many salient points and prioritized expediency over justice.
"The next step will be to take my fight for justice to the highest courts in the UK."
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A prosecutor on Thursday asked a London court to order the confiscation of more than 100 million pounds ($129 million) from Nigerian politician and former Delta state governor James Ibori, Reuters reports.
Ibori had previous convictions for fraud in the UK and the former governor spent years in prison in Britain.
Ibori was extradited in 2011 from Dubai to London, where he was charged with laundering a "bribe-acquired fortune".
He pleaded guilty in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and money laundering and was sentenced to 13 years in prison, a result hailed by Britain as a milestone in the fight against corruption.
With its highly developed financial and legal services and lucrative property market, Britain is a global hub for money laundering, but the foreign kleptocrats it attracts are rarely prosecuted and Ibori's case remains an aberration.
After more than a decade of legal wrangling and court delays, prosecutors' attempts to confiscate funds believed to be the proceeds of Ibori's fraudulent activities now appear to be nearing conclusion.
Judge David Tomlinson of Southwark Crown Court made findings of fact regarding the funds.
At a hearing on Thursday, the two sides made conflicting arguments about how the forfeiture figure should be calculated, taking into account the judge's findings.
He should finalize and officially issue his order on Friday or shortly thereafter.
Lead prosecution lawyer Jonathan Kinnear told the court that the total amount that should be confiscated from Ibori was £101.5 million and that if he did not pay he should be sentenced to between five and 10 years in prison.
Having served half his prison sentence in pre-trial and post-trial detention, as is often the case, Ibori returned to Nigeria in 2017 and did not attend Thursday's hearing.
He told Reuters via text message that he planned to appeal the confiscation order.
Ibori remains influential and well-connected in Nigerian politics. President Bola Tinubu, who was sworn in in May, hosted Ibori twice at the presidential villa, along with other former governors.
Britain has pledged to return any money recovered from Ibori to Nigeria. In 2021, he returned £4.2 million that had been confiscated from Ibori's ex-wife and her sister, who also served time in prison for helping him launder money.
But reacting to Thursday's proceedings on its Facebook page, the former Delta government said its hopes were "fading fast" for a fair hearing.
He also announced his intention to seek redress and fight for justice in the highest courts in the UK.
He said: "Finally the shenanigans at Southwark Crown Court are coming to an end. Judge Tomlinson must make an order of forfeiture which should be both workable and non-punitive.
“However, after what happened in court today, my hopes for fairness are quickly fading.
"In the 2 years it took to write this judgment, it seems obvious that he overlooked many salient points and prioritized expediency over justice.
"The next step will be to take my fight for justice to the highest courts in the UK."
Please share this story:
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