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Ibori gets 13 years imprisonment

Judge Anthony Pitts of the Southwark crown Court, UK has sentenced  former governor of Delta state, James Ibori to a 13 year jail term for … Continue reading Ibori gets 13 years imprisonment


Judge Anthony Pitts of the Southwark crown Court, UK has sentenced  former governor of Delta state, James Ibori to a 13 year jail term for fraud and embezzlement whilst serving as the governor of the state.

Delivering the ruling, Justice Pitts said the real judgment of Mr ibori’s crime during his tenure as the governor of the oil rich state lies with the people of Delta state as he claimed none of the money laundering cases he had tried in the past comes anywhere close to that of Mr Ibori.

“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” he said.

According to the judge, the court was unable to establish how much Ibori stole saying “Ibori’s loot is unquantifiable.”

The judge noted that the ex-governor would have gotten a much higher sentence but for his guilty plea to some of his charges.

“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 plead guilty to” he said.

He said if Ibori had fought the case to the end without pleading guilty he would be looking at 24 years. He quipped that Mr Ibori got a discount for pleading guilty; thereby he deducted 645 days from his sentence due to the time he’s already spent in prison while the case lasted.

That leaves the former governor with at least 7years of imprisonment in a British jail.

The judge also noted that by pleading guilty at the beginning of the trial, the defendant had saved British tax payers the expense of trying him. The former state governor on the 27th of February, plead guilty to 10 counts of money laundering and fraud totaling £50m.

Fashanu last minute effort to save Ibori

Before the sentence, a large crowd of protesters gathered outside the premises of the court.

One of the faces was former England striker, John Fashanu who was allowed into court to testify as a character witness for the former governor.

Fashanu said he had requested to come to the UK to give evidence in former governor’s defence as his numerous investments in sports helped revolutionized sports in Delta state, creating some of Africa’s best athletes.

According to the ex-England footballer who addressed the media outside the courtroom, Ibori “revolutionized Delta state. Not one, not two, but nine mini-sports stadium, three full not FIFA approved Olympic stadium, 18 holed-golf course , state of the art shooting range that has never been achieved anywhere before.”

He also added that “he empowered some many of our militants who had just been given amnesty in 2006.”

Fashanu told the court that Mr Ibori shooting range built by Mr Ibori was of international standard on what was a scrub land and subsequently introduced shooting to Nigeria.

In his closing statements, Mr Ibori’s lawyer, Mr Nicholas Purnell asked the judge to consider his clients children before passing sentence since their mother was already in jail.

He mentioned that the former governor had also played a part in supporting UK industry even before he became governor. He cited a letter from British airways thanking Mr Ibori for restoring direct flight from Nigeria to the UK.

Judge Pitts says Mr ibori’s sentencing does not end the matter as his property will be confiscated.

Mr Ibori was at the end of the ruling taken away from the court police officer to serve his 13-year tenure in imprisonment which starts immediately.

London Court jails Ibori