IBORI: 8 reasons he should be called a ‘thief’

The former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, on Sunday declared at a thanks-giving service in Oghara, his homeland, that he was no thief and cannot be a thief.

He labeled his travails and London experience as a deliberate attempt by unnamed enemies to keep him away from his people.

How defensible is his narrative? Here are 8 reasons his claims should be queried.

1. Was he ever in charge of the resources of the people of Delta State?

Yes, he governed the State between May 29, 1999 and May 29, 2007.

2. Were there suspicions that he was illegally dipping his hands into the resources of Delta State?

Yes, prominent citizens, led by Edwin Clarke of the Delta State Elders Forum, were the first to petition the EFCC. They alleged he authorized the illegal sales of 52 million of Delta State government shares in Oceanic bank Plc to service the N44billion loan obtained by his company, Ascot Offshore Nigeria Limited, which bought Wilbros, an American company, in Port-Harcourt.

He was also accused of selling 800 million shares in Oceanic Bank Plc to secure a N44billion loan from Intercontinental Bank and the outright sale of 500million of the shares to service the loan.

3, Was Ibori Investigated, arrested, interrogated and charged to court by the EFCC for the alleged pilfering the resources of Delta State?

Yes, on December 12, 2007, he was arrested by the EFCC at the Kwara State lodge in Abuja and charged with allged theft of public funds, abuse of office, and money laundering.

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EFCC helmsman, Nuhu Ribadu, even alleged that Ibori had tried to bribe him with a cash gift of $15 million, which he turned down and immediately lodged with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

4, Did the court discharge Ibori?

Yes, in December 2009, a Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State, discharged and acquitted Ibori of all the 170 charges of corruption brought against him by the EFCC.

However, the anti-corruption agency filed an appeal at the Appellate Court in Abuja.

5, Did Ibori try to run away from the law?

Yes, in April 2010, he fled Nigeria after evading arrest over fresh charges by the Goodluck Jonathan administration accusing him of embezzling N40billion belonging to Delta State. EFCC sought the intervention of Interpol.

He was eventually arrested in Dubai on May 13, 2010 and handed-over to British authorities who had also been hunting him since 2007. Extradition to Britain did not take place until 2012.

Indeed, the London chase for Ibori began with a raid by the Metropolitan Police of the London office of a lawyer, Bhadresh Gohil, which yielded details of Ibori’s intricate involvement in crime, leading to the arrest of two others, Daniel Benedict McCann, and Lambertus De Boer.

6, Were Ibori’s associates found guilty of facilitating crime in UK?

Yes, all three, namely Bhadresh Gohil, Daniel Benedict McCann, and Lambertus De Boer were jailed for 30 years.

Also condemned to imprisonment for 5 years each in June 2010 were Ibori’s sister, Christine Ibie-Ibori, another associate, Udoamaka Okoronkwo, all of whom UK jurists found guilty on counts of money laundering.

7, Was Ibori charged to London court and found guilty?

Yes, he was tried and found guilty of money laundering in April 17, 2012, having been unable to defend, amongst others, the source of £35 million stashed away in London banks while he was on an income of less than £25000 as governor.

James Ibori was sentenced to 13 years in jail by a Southwark Crown Court for his crimes out of which he was expected to spend half of the jail term behind bars. He was released from prison on December 21, 2016.

8, Should Ibori be pronounced a thief?

Yes, a court of competent jurisdiction has pronounced him as one. What is still uncertain is if the EFCC will be inclined to pursue the pending case against Ibori at the Appeal Court in Abuja. No superior court has vacated the matter as at date.

 

 

 

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