A UK prosecutor has asked a London court to order the confiscation of more than 100 million pounds ($129 million) from ex-Delta State governor James Ibori.
Ibori was convicted of fraud in the United Kingdom, and the ex-governor spent years in Britain.
Ibori was extradited 2011 from Dubai to London, where he was charged with laundering a “corruptly acquired fortune”.
He pleaded guilty in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and money laundering and received a 13-year jail sentence, an outcome hailed by Britain as a landmark in the struggle against corruption.
After more than a decade of legal wrangling and court delays, attempts by prosecutors to confiscate funds considered to be the benefits of Ibori’s fraudulent activities now appear close to conclusion.
Judge David Tomlinson of Southwark Crown Court has made factual findings regarding the funds.
According to lead prosecution counsel Jonathan Kinnear, the total amount that should be confiscated from Ibori was 101.5 million pounds.
However, the prosecutor argued that he should be sentenced to five to 10 years if he did not pay up.
Having served half of his prison sentence in pre- and post-trial detention, Ibori returned to Nigeria in 2017 and did not attend Thursday’s hearing.
Meanwhile, he said he planned to appeal against the confiscation order.
Britain has pledged to return any money recovered from Ibori to Nigeria.
In 2021, it returned 4.2 million pounds that had been confiscated from Ibori’s ex-wife and his sister, who also served jail time for helping him launder money.
