Confiscation Order
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British judge to rule on confiscation order application on former Nigerian governor’s fraudulently acquired £100m fortune
British prosecutors have applied for a confiscation order on the illegally acquired £100 million fortune belonging to James Ibori a former governor of Nigeria’s oil rich Delta state.
Ibori a convicted fraudster was extradited in 2011 from Dubai to London, where he was charged with laundering a corruptly acquired fortune.
Judge David Tomlinson of Southwark Crown Court has made factual findings regarding the funds following 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.
James Ibori (R) with President Bola Tinubu
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.
He pleaded guilty in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and money-laundering and received a 13-year jail sentence, an outcome hailed by Britain as a landmark in the struggle against corruption.
Britain has pledged to return any money recovered from Ibori to Nigeria. In 2021, it returned 4.2 million pounds that had been confiscated from Ibori’s ex-wife and his sister, who also served jail time for helping him launder money.
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.
Ibori told Reuters by text message he planned to appeal against the confiscation order.
The former two term governor remains a powerful and influential politician in Nigeria that President Bola Tinubu hosted him twice at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
Akowe with reports from Abuja
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