James Ibori, former governor of Delta state has been
sentenced to 13 years in prison for corruption and money laundering
charges at the Southwark Crown Court 9 in London.
His sentence was announced at about 3.20pm today by Judge Anthony Pitts.Earlier on, his lawyers had tried to make a case for a lenient sentencing. His lawyer, Nicholas Pernellblamed
Badrash Gohil and former Akwa Ibom state governor, Victor Attah, for
the V-Mobile scam saying they were the architects of the fraud.
He further credited his client
with every development in Nigeria, and especially in Delta state, from
the banking reforms, to peace in the Niger Delta, education, and
building of low-cost housing. Also in his defence, he stated that his
client, James Ibori, played a part in supporting British industry even
before he became governor. As evidence, he cited a letter from British Airways, thanking Ibori for restoring direct flights between Nigeria and Britain.
Mr. Pernell, in his conclusion, asked the Judge to consider the pressure
that his client has been under since investigatons began in 2005, and
also the accused’s children who now have both their parents in custody
before passing his sentence.
Also in his defence, veteran sportsman, John Fashanu, made
an appearance in the court today. He testified saying the former
governor achieved a lot in sports, and was instrumental to the end of
militancy in the state. He told the court that Ibori built nine
mini-sports stadia and three Olympic-sized stadia in Delta state and
also built the first shooting range in Nigeria.
The court went for a recess at about 12.30pm and reconvened at 2.25pm after which his sentence was read.
James Ibori had earlier pleaded guilty to a number of corruption and
money laundering charges against him put at about $250million before
Judge Pitts. This includes the V-Mobile and Bombardaire scams which
amounted to $50million. Ibori and Victor Attah, former Akwa Ibom state
governor also formed a phantom company called ADF to siphon
US$37.5million from Delta and Akwa Ibom states’ shares in V-Mobile. He
was accused of embezzling these funds during his tenure as governor and
using most of them to live a lavish lifestyle and acquire property and
assets around the world.
Judge Pitts said that the sentencing will not be the end of the matter as his property will also be confiscated.
News Source: Daily Times
