Former governor James Onanefe Ibori of Delta State today entered a guilty plea before a Southwark Crown Court in London where he was being tried on fraud and money laundering charges.Ibori pleaded guilty to 10 counts of fraud, money laundering and corrutption charges before judge Anthony Pitts.
On Monday, with his trial at London's Southwark crown court about to begin, Ibori, 49, changed his original plea and admitted stealing money from Delta state and laundering it in London through a number of offshore companies. Ibori admitted to fraud totalling more than $79m (£50m), said to be part of total embezzlement that could exceed $250m (£157m).
Prosecutor Sasha Wass told the court Ibori had accepted he was involved in "wide-scale theft, fraud and corruption when he was governor of Delta state".
When he ran for the governorship of Delta state, Ibori allegedly used a false date of birth to conceal previous convictions because a criminal record would have excluded him from taking part in the election.
"Mr Ibori tricked his way into public office. He had tricked the Nigerian authorities and the Nigerian voters. He was thus never the legitimate governor of Delta state," said Wass.
"We are pleased with today's guilty pleas which mark the culmination of a seven-year inquiry into James Ibori's corrupt activities," said Detective Inspector Paul Whatmore of the Metropolitan police. "We will now be actively seeking the confiscation of all of his stolen assets so they can be repatriated for the benefit of the people of Delta state."
Ibori, whose address in England was given as Primrose Hill in north London, was working as a cashier in a branch of a DIY store in Ruislip, Middlesex, when he moved to Nigeria and worked his way up through the political ranks to become a state governor in 1999.
As governor of Delta state, Ibori racked up credit card bills of $200,000 a month and owned a fleet of armoured Range Rovers, said the prosecution. He was trying to buy a plane for £20m at the time he was arrested. Once seen as one of Nigeria's wealthiest and most influential politicians, Ibori was seized in 2010 in Dubai at the requestion of the Metropolitan police and extradited to London last year.
Mr. Ibori's guilty plea has closed a chapter to a long judicial and political saga pertaining to his massive money laundeering activities in his eight years as governor of one of Nigeria's major oil producing state.
Mr. Ibori faces up to 10 years in UK prison during sentencing, which will take place after the completion of the trial of his accomplice and financial advisor, Elias Preko, a Ghanaian national.
Money Reportedly found in Ibori's House
Britain's Department for International Development (DfID) said Ibori systematically stole funds from the public purse, depositing them in bank accounts across the world. A major breakthrough came when officers from Scotland Yard found two computer hard drives that revealed the extent of his crimes.
Ibori will be sentenced at Southwark crown court on 16 and 17 April.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
Unbelievable...why are these people so wicked and greedy?...many Nigerians cannot even afford a plate of meal a day...yet so called greedy politicians...what surprise me so much is Ibori who we thought because his family is very rich he will not get involved in state fraud...now no one can really be trusted. It is a shame but I am happy that they are been found out...may God almighty continue to expose this people and their cohorts.
ReplyDeleteThis is very very disturbing. What hope is there for Nigeria when the politicians are executive thieves.
ReplyDeleteRepatriate wetin?Uduaghan will steal it all over again.They are both isdes of the same coin.
ReplyDeletewhat a shame. God will continue to expose all the evil ones in Nigeria. Deltans can be relieved. If it were to be in Nigeria that he is been tried, they'll lay off the charges against him and make feel great like our Former speaker, Dimeji Bonkole & cohorts.
ReplyDeleteWhy is he being tried in a London court and not disgraced in Nigeria where he stole all those funds?
ReplyDeleteThis is a big shame on the Nigerian judiciary. JOI was discharged in Nigeria in over 100 count charges of FRAUD,CORRUPTION and MONEY LAUNDRY in 2009 by our respected 'LORDHSHIPS' thereby cannonising him into a 'sainthood'after the order of Nigerian judiciary. It was not out place to address JOI as Saint James Onanefe Ibori after being discharged from the count charges leveled on him by the anti graft body EFCC. Today, God who is truely the hope of common man has given us justice though in far away London by his plea of guilty to only 10 count charges as against 100 in Nigeria. JUDGES BECAREFUL DISPENSE JUSTICE WITHOUT FEAR AND FAVOUR
ReplyDeleteI FEEL TERRIBLY SAD DISCOVERING HOW THE MAN WAS PRAISED HERE IN NIGERIA BUT DEEP INSIDE OF HIM IS A MAN WHO IS GREEDY AND CALLOUS. NIGERIANS MUST WAKE UP AND SEE THAT OUR POLITICIANS NEVER MEANT WELL FOR THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED THEM INTO POWER.
ReplyDeleteWhich way Nigeria? Which way to go? I want to know. The late Sunny Okosun sang this song in the 80s. Then Veno Omoriaghe sang also in the 80s: Nigeria go survive. Fela sang also in the 80s: Suffering and Smiling. These songs were sung more than 30 years ago. Yet nothing is getting better. Instead, everything is getting worse. All the government office-holders, past and present, should be probed. Anyone found questionable must be prosecuted accordingly. By this way, by ONLY this way, will the bane of corruption in Nigeria FINALLY come to an end.
ReplyDeleteimagine Deltan funds the politicians steals, and the state governor cannot pay minimum wage
ReplyDeleteyou people judge others with their actions and evaluate yourself based on your intentions. Irrespective of your background,may be you will probably steal much more than the culprit. Be sincere to yourselves.
ReplyDeleteTake his photograph left, right and centre, get his finger print, DNA, iris print for the man Ibori is notorious for saying it wasn't me that was convicted. I dough my hat for the British legal system for trapping this elusive rogue! In Nigeria, Ibori would be the last person to be convicted for any offence.
ReplyDeleteIMAGINE! MY NOKIA PHONE CAN NOT EVEN MULTIPLY THE CONVERSION TO NIGERIA NIARA... TRY IT, IF YOU THINK I AM EXAGGERATING.... too much money..
ReplyDeletei tried it, u ar correct out of range
ReplyDelete