From BAMIGBOLA GBOLAGUNTE, Osogbo
Wednesday April 18 , 2012
Wednesday April 18 , 2012
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Photo: Sun News Publishing |
A British court, yesterday sentenced former Delta State governor, James Ibori to 13 years in prison for his involvement in a $250 million (N35.5 billion) fraud of state funds. Unarguably, the judgement brought an end to the most celebrated corruption trial, involving a former Nigerian government official.
British State Police, Scotland Yard, stated that during his two-terms as governor, Ibori “systematically stole funds from the public purse, secreting them in bank accounts across the world,” in a fraud worth $250 million.
In February, Ibori pleaded guilty to one-count charge of conspiracy to launder money, five-count, for money laundering and one-count for obtaining a property transfered by deception.
Ibori, 49, who was governor of oil rich Delta State between 1999 and 2007, was sentenced at the Southwark Crown Court, London. The judge also mentioned Ribadu’s allegation of $15 million bribe allegedly offered by Ibori.
Pronouncing the sentence, the Judge, Anthony Pitts, said: “I recognize that there is another side to the man James Ibori but I am not the proper person to judge your achievements and failings as a governor. That is up to the people of Delta state.”
The judge while describing Ibori’s life of corruption, said: “The history of dishonesty, corruption and theft in the first indictment would alone attract the maximum or close to the maximum sentence allowed by law. But there is another indictment of serious fraud which you have pleaded guilty to.”
He said if Ibori had fought the case to the end without pleading guilty, he would be looking at 24 years, noting that he would get a discount for pleading guilty.
Pitts, thereafter, sentenced Ibori to 13 years in prison. He noted that the sentence was less the 645 days he spent in detention. “That means Mr. Ibori will be in prison for at least 7 years.”
In his argument, defence counsel, Nicholas Purnell, harped on Ibori’s achievements as governor. Purnell handed a dossier of Ibori’s achievements to the judge, saying it was important to consider character in sentencing.
Purnell, however, blamed Bhadresh Gohil for Ibori’s misdeeds, claiming that Gohil, as solicitor to Mr. Ibori misled him into engaging in unlawful acts of money laundering.
On arrival in court yeaterday, Ibori wore the same dark suit he spotted during the hearing, the day previous. He gave a small wave to the crowd of supporters, who had thronged the court in solidarity. He managed to give a thumbs-up sign and a big wide grin to a journalist from his newspaper, Daily Independent.
The lawyer also blamed Ibori misfortune and journey into graft on his solicitor, Bhadresh Gohil. He said the lawyer was responsible for everything, including money laundering that enabled Ibori buy a jet from Canada.
“I’m not seeking to minimise my client’s role, but it is relevant when your honour comes to balance the relative culpability when considering sentence.” Gohil bagged 10 years.
There was an interesting development when Purnell stated that Ibori once worked for Nigeria’s former head of state, Sani Abacha in the US in 1994. The counsel claimed that Ibori was employed as an ambassador with expertise in combating drug trafficking and money laundering which made Abacha send him to the US, a service for which he was paid $1.5 million.
Purnell’s revelation unsettled Ibori who called to speak with counsel, following which, the discussion shifted to his role in the Warri crisis.
To this end, the counsel presented ‘letters of thanks’ from foreign embassies for James Ibori’s help in freeing hostages held in the Niger Delta.
“The principle is that the situation is not as the prosecution alleged that he spent his time enriching himself and his family, day in day out he was dealing with the situation presented to him, dealing with projects confronting him as a leader in a nascent democracy,” he claimed.
He also made references to letters Ibori received from different people thanking him for his “ability to mend breaches in society and work for a common pursuit of development in Delta State.” Purnell admitted “these letters are written in very over generous and flowery English but it shows he was fully engaged in the business of state and not simply in office, to enrich himself.”
To lend credence to his submissions, Purnell introduced former English premier league star, Nigeria’s John Fashanu, to testify to Ibori’s ‘good character.’ Fashanu, in his testimony said: “Thousands of Niger Delta militants have benefitted during which he claimed from the stadiums he built.”
Curiously, Fashanu claimed further, “Mr. Ibori also built a shooting range of international standard shooting on what used to be a scrub land, adding that before then, shooting had never been introduced to Nigeria.”
In previous trials, Ibori’s associates and facilitators in money-laundering, in the same court, had been dispatched to prison in the United Kingdom for a minimum sentence of five years.
They include Theresa Nkoyo, Ibori’s wife and former first lady of Delta State, and the former governor’s sister, Christine Ibori-Ibie; his mistress, Udoamaka Okoronkwo-Onuigbo and one of his London lawyers, Mr. Bhadresh Gohil.
Ibori had previously been ‘tried’ in Nigeria, in his state capital, Asaba, during late president Umaru Yar’Adua tenure. He was acquitted of all the 170 charges.
British State Police, Scotland Yard, stated that during his two-terms as governor, Ibori “systematically stole funds from the public purse, secreting them in bank accounts across the world,” in a fraud worth $250 million.
In February, Ibori pleaded guilty to one-count charge of conspiracy to launder money, five-count, for money laundering and one-count for obtaining a property transfered by deception.
Ibori, 49, who was governor of oil rich Delta State between 1999 and 2007, was sentenced at the Southwark Crown Court, London. The judge also mentioned Ribadu’s allegation of $15 million bribe allegedly offered by Ibori.
Pronouncing the sentence, the Judge, Anthony Pitts, said: “I recognize that there is another side to the man James Ibori but I am not the proper person to judge your achievements and failings as a governor. That is up to the people of Delta state.”
The judge while describing Ibori’s life of corruption, said: “The history of dishonesty, corruption and theft in the first indictment would alone attract the maximum or close to the maximum sentence allowed by law. But there is another indictment of serious fraud which you have pleaded guilty to.”
He said if Ibori had fought the case to the end without pleading guilty, he would be looking at 24 years, noting that he would get a discount for pleading guilty.
Pitts, thereafter, sentenced Ibori to 13 years in prison. He noted that the sentence was less the 645 days he spent in detention. “That means Mr. Ibori will be in prison for at least 7 years.”
In his argument, defence counsel, Nicholas Purnell, harped on Ibori’s achievements as governor. Purnell handed a dossier of Ibori’s achievements to the judge, saying it was important to consider character in sentencing.
Purnell, however, blamed Bhadresh Gohil for Ibori’s misdeeds, claiming that Gohil, as solicitor to Mr. Ibori misled him into engaging in unlawful acts of money laundering.
On arrival in court yeaterday, Ibori wore the same dark suit he spotted during the hearing, the day previous. He gave a small wave to the crowd of supporters, who had thronged the court in solidarity. He managed to give a thumbs-up sign and a big wide grin to a journalist from his newspaper, Daily Independent.
The lawyer also blamed Ibori misfortune and journey into graft on his solicitor, Bhadresh Gohil. He said the lawyer was responsible for everything, including money laundering that enabled Ibori buy a jet from Canada.
“I’m not seeking to minimise my client’s role, but it is relevant when your honour comes to balance the relative culpability when considering sentence.” Gohil bagged 10 years.
There was an interesting development when Purnell stated that Ibori once worked for Nigeria’s former head of state, Sani Abacha in the US in 1994. The counsel claimed that Ibori was employed as an ambassador with expertise in combating drug trafficking and money laundering which made Abacha send him to the US, a service for which he was paid $1.5 million.
Purnell’s revelation unsettled Ibori who called to speak with counsel, following which, the discussion shifted to his role in the Warri crisis.
To this end, the counsel presented ‘letters of thanks’ from foreign embassies for James Ibori’s help in freeing hostages held in the Niger Delta.
“The principle is that the situation is not as the prosecution alleged that he spent his time enriching himself and his family, day in day out he was dealing with the situation presented to him, dealing with projects confronting him as a leader in a nascent democracy,” he claimed.
He also made references to letters Ibori received from different people thanking him for his “ability to mend breaches in society and work for a common pursuit of development in Delta State.” Purnell admitted “these letters are written in very over generous and flowery English but it shows he was fully engaged in the business of state and not simply in office, to enrich himself.”
To lend credence to his submissions, Purnell introduced former English premier league star, Nigeria’s John Fashanu, to testify to Ibori’s ‘good character.’ Fashanu, in his testimony said: “Thousands of Niger Delta militants have benefitted during which he claimed from the stadiums he built.”
Curiously, Fashanu claimed further, “Mr. Ibori also built a shooting range of international standard shooting on what used to be a scrub land, adding that before then, shooting had never been introduced to Nigeria.”
In previous trials, Ibori’s associates and facilitators in money-laundering, in the same court, had been dispatched to prison in the United Kingdom for a minimum sentence of five years.
They include Theresa Nkoyo, Ibori’s wife and former first lady of Delta State, and the former governor’s sister, Christine Ibori-Ibie; his mistress, Udoamaka Okoronkwo-Onuigbo and one of his London lawyers, Mr. Bhadresh Gohil.
Ibori had previously been ‘tried’ in Nigeria, in his state capital, Asaba, during late president Umaru Yar’Adua tenure. He was acquitted of all the 170 charges.
SOURCE: The Sun, 18 April 2012. http://sunnewsonline.com
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