A UK court will seize over £100 million ($129 million) from ex-Delta State Governor James Ibori, six years following his return to Nigeria after a money laundering and fraud sentence. British authorities indicted him for stealing public funds and laundering them through UK banks and properties.
The trial on confiscation proceedings against Ibori began in February 2017. Judge David Tomlinson of Southwark Crown Court has made factual findings about the amount of money involved. During a hearing on Thursday, both the prosecution and the defence presented arguments on calculating the confiscation figure according to the judge’s findings.
James Ibori, who returned to Nigeria in 2017 after serving half of his sentence, did not attend the hearing. The prosecution lawyer stated that the total amount to be confiscated from Ibori was 101.5 million pounds. The judge is expected to order a possible 5- to 10-year prison term by Friday or shortly after.
Former Nigerian governor Ibori was extradited to London in 2011, admitted to fraud and money laundering charges, and sentenced to 13 years in prison. He was released on December 21, 2016, by court order. Home Office counsel sought Ibori’s detention; Crown Prosecution lawyer Sian Davies opposed his release.
