Ibori Risks £100m Seizure, Fresh 10-Year Jail Term In UK

A former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, faces a risk of a fresh 10-year jail term over money he is expected to pay following his conviction in a Uk court in 2012.

The court is set to order the seizure of more than £100 million ($129 million) from the former governor, Channels Television reports.

The development comes about six years after Ibori returned to Nigeria following a prison sentence he served for money laundering and fraud charges.

The British authorities had indicted the former governor for stealing public funds and laundering them through UK banks and properties. However, the trial on confiscation proceedings against Ibori began in February 2017.

Judge David Tomlinson of Southwark Crown Court has made factual findings regarding the amount of money linked to Ibori.

During a hearing on Thursday, the prosecution and the defence presented their arguments on how the confiscation figure should be calculated based on the judge’s findings.

Ibori, who returned to Nigeria in 2017 after serving half his sentence, did not attend the hearing.

The prosecution lawyer, Jonathan Kinnear, told the court that the total amount that should be confiscated from Ibori was £101.5 million.

Kinnear told the court that if he fails to pay, he should face an additional prison term of five and ten years.

The judge is expected to conclude and issue an order on Friday or soon after.