Former Delta state governor, Chief James Ibori was Tuesday jailed by a British court for 13 years for his part in a $250 million fraud of state funds but to spend four and half years behind bars.
At the resumption of the sentencing on Tuesday, there were several Nigerians inside the courtroom showing their support for the former Delta State governor, amongst whom was former footballer and member of the Nigerian Football Federation, John Fashanu.
James Ibori, 49, who was governor ofoil-rich Delta State between 1999 and 2007, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in London.
Scotland Yard says that during his two terms as governor, Ibori “systematically stole funds from the public purse, secreting them in bank accounts across the world”, in a fraud worth $250 million.
In February, Ibori pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder money, five of money laundering and one of obtaining a property transfer by deception.
He also admitted conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to make false instruments, and one count of money laundering linked to a $37-million share fraud surrounding the sale of shares in Nigerian company V Mobile.
Ibori’s counsel, Nicholas Pernell started by telling the court that Ibori was not to be blamed for the V-mobile telecommunications scam, but all the blame should be laid at the feet of Gohil, his former lawyer and the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Victor Attah.
To support his assertions of Ibori’s meek nature, Pernell called upon Fashanu to tell the court of this good side of Ibori, seldom seen and reported. Fashanu proceeded to inform the court that Ibori built the first shooting range in the country. He also added that he built 12 stadia across Delta state during his time as governor, thereby helping the careers of Nigerian soccer players such as Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha and current Nigerian coach, Stephen Keshi, who had long hung his playing boots before Ibori became governor.
Britain’s International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said corruption was a “cancer” in the developing world and the sentence sent a strong message to people eying Britain “as a refuge for their crimes”. We are committed to rooting out corruption wherever it is undermining development, and will help bring its perpetrators like Ibori to justice and return stolen funds to help the world’s poorest,” he said in a statement.