Date Published: 11/23/09

Ibori: Judge postpone trials again

A judge failed to turn up to preside over a high-profile Nigerian corruption trial on Monday, causing the second postponement in the case in a month.

The former governor of oil-rich Delta State, James Ibori, is on trial accused of embezzling millions of dollars in state funds during eight years in office from 1999-2007.

But the court failed to sit Monday because Justice Marcel Awokulehin, who was to hand down a ruling, was attending a conference in western Nigeria's Kwara state, a court registrar told AFP.

The next session has been set for December 4, he said.

It was the second postponement in the trial this month. The case was previously adjourned from November 6.

Ibori is facing trial in Britain following the discovery of assets there suspected of being acquired with embezzled money.

His trial in London, with an alleged accomplice, Udoamaka Okonkwo, was suspended pending the outcome of the Nigerian case.

Ibori's annual salary as governor was less than 25,000 dollars (17,000 euros), yet he was able to transfer millions of dollars to British bank accounts, media reports said.

A British court has frozen 35 million dollars' worth of his assets.