Former chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay, has said that the former governor of Delta State, Mr James Ibori, could appeal his indictment by a London court in the latest ruling in his alleged £101.5 million money laundering charge.
Recall that a UK court had last Thursday, July 20, ruled on the confiscation charge of £101.5 million loot linked to Ibori.
At a hearing, the prosecutor had asked the court to confiscate the money.
The lead prosecution counsel, Jonathan Kinner, had argued that the court should seize the money, adding that if the former governor refuses to cooperate, he should be jailed.
The prosecution and defence counsels had raised arguments on how the confiscation figure should be calculated.
Delivering the confiscation order, a judge at Southwark Crown Court, David Tomlinson, who had made “factual findings” regarding the funds, said should pay the sum immediately or face an eight-year jail sentence.
Reacting to the matter, Sagay, a said Ibori has a right to appeal to higher courts in the UK and defend any attempt to extradite him from Nigeria.
“He has an absolute right to appeal the judgment. The judgment was from a High Court so he can appeal to the higher courts – the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
“He has two options and both can be exploited. He can appeal the judgment in London and defend any attempt at extradition in Nigeria. He can do the two,” Sagay said.
Recall that Ibori, who was governor of Delta State between 1999 and 2007, was sentenced by a London Court to prison for 13 years after convicting him of fraud and money laundering.
He ended his jail term in 2016 and returned to Nigeria the year after.
Over the years, British prosecutors have made several attempts to confiscate Ibori’s assets alleged to be proceeds of crime.
In 2020, the United Kingdom launched a bid to confiscate “proceeds of loot” in the £117 million worth of properties linked to Ibori.
In March 2021, the UK government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian government for the repatriation of £4.2 million loot recovered from Ibori.
In May 2021, the federal government received the £4.2 million loot.
