Jailed former Nigerian state governor James Ibori’s convictions remain
\nvalid despite evidence a British police officer took bribes during the
\ninvestigation of his case, Britain’s state prosecution agency said on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
Ibori, who as governor of oil-producing Delta State from 1999 to 2007 was
\none of Nigeria’s most powerful men, is serving a 13-year sentence in a
\nBritish prison after pleading guilty in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and
\nmoney-laundering.<\/p>\n
He is the most senior Nigerian politician to have been held to account for
\nthe corruption that has blighted Africa’s most populous nation for
\ndecades, and his jailing was hailed as a high point in the international
\nfight against graft.<\/p>\n
But the case has become an embarrassment for Britain since one of Ibori’s
\nassociates, convicted money-launderer Bhadresh Gohil, alleged that the
\njudicial process was tainted because prosecutors had covered up evidence
\nof police corruption.<\/p>\n
Authorities initially denied everything and charged Gohil with perverting
\nthe course of justice, but that prosecution was abruptly dropped in
\nJanuary.<\/p>\n
In May, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had found “material to
\nsupport the assertion that a police officer received payment in return for
\ninformation”.<\/p>\n
After an internal review of the case lasting months, the CPS said on
\nThursday that while the material “should have been disclosed to the
\ndefence”, that did not call into question the validity of the convictions
\nof Ibori, Gohil and others.<\/p>\n
Ibori’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
\nGohil’s lawyer said he could not comment for legal reasons.<\/p>\n
Court proceedings on the confiscation of Ibori’s assets are still dragging
\nthrough the courts, and lawyers for Ibori and Gohil could use the next
\ncourt hearing to challenge the findings of the CPS review.<\/p>\n
Ibori first came to the attention of British police in 1991, when he was
\nworking as a cashier at Wickes, a home improvements chainstore in London,
\nand was caught stealing from the till.<\/p>\n
After returning to Nigeria, he became involved in politics. As governor of
\nDelta, he amassed a huge fortune and became a power-broker in the PDP
\nparty then ruling the country.<\/p>\n
The charges to which Ibori pleaded guilty amounted to the theft of about
\n$80 million. Prosecutors said that was only part of his total booty, which
\nwas kept hidden via a complex web of shell companies, offshore accounts
\nand front men.<\/p>\n
During his sentencing in 2012, the court heard that he had enjoyed a
\nlavish lifestyle involving foreign properties and a fleet of luxury cars.
\nAt the time of his arrest, he had been trying to buy a $20 million private
\njet. (REUTERS)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jailed former Nigerian state governor James Ibori’s convictions remain valid despite evidence a British police officer took bribes during the investigation of his case, Britain’s state prosecution agency said on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n