UK court orders confiscation of £100m linked to Ibori (updated)

A London court has ruled on the confiscation charge of about £100 million loot linked to James Ibori, former governor of Delta state.

At a hearing on Thursday, the prosecutor had asked the court to confiscate £101.5 million traced to Ibori.

According to Reuters, Jonathan Kinner, the lead prosecution counsel, had argued that the court should seize the money, adding that if the former governor refuses to cooperate, he should be jailed.

The prosecution and defence counsels had raised arguments on how the confiscation figure should be calculated.

David Tomlinson, a judge at Southwark Crown Court, had made “factual findings” regarding the funds.

Delivering the confiscation order, Tomlinson said Ibori should pay the sum immediately or face an eight-year jail sentence.

Helen Taylor, senior legal researcher at Spotlight on Corruption, said it has been a “tortuous road” for the prosecution in the UK.

“The long and tortuous road to reach this point shows just how tough it is to recover the proceeds of corruption in the UK,” Reuters quoted Taylor as saying.

“To ensure justice delayed doesn’t mean justice denied for the Nigerian people, it’s essential that the UK now makes every effort to ensure the speedy return of this stolen loot to benefit the victims of Ibori’s corruption in Delta state.”

Britain has promised to repatriate to Nigeria, any funds recovered from Ibori.

In 2021, Britain returned £4.2 million confiscated from Ibori’s ex-wife and his sister.

In his reaction to the confiscation ruling, Ibori said the judgement was difficult to comprehend.

He added that he would appeal against the order.

BACKGROUND

Ibori was governor of Delta between 1999 to 2007.

In 2012, a UK court sentenced him to prison for 13 years after convicting him of fraud and money laundering.

The former governor ended his jail term in 2016 and returned to Nigeria the year after.

Over the years, British prosecutors have made several attempts to confiscate Ibori’s assets alleged to be proceeds of crime.

In 2020, the United Kingdom launched a bid to confiscate “proceeds of loot” in the £117 million worth of properties linked to Ibori.

In March 2021, the UK government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian government for the repatriation of £4.2 million loot recovered from Ibori.

In May 2021, the federal government received the £4.2 million loot.