Former Delta state governor James Ibori is set to lose £101.5 million ($130.34 million) following an order issued by Judge David Tomlinson in London’s Southwark Crown Court.
Comparatively, the amount of ₦101,143,847,363.27 confiscated in naira is just about one-ninth of the sum shared among the three tiers of government on Thursday.
Upon delivering the verdict, Judge Tomlinson demanded that James Ibori settle the amount promptly, warning that failure to do so might result in eight-year imprisonment.
Ibori, who is currently based in Nigeria, has firmly stated his intention to appeal the confiscation order in the UK’s highest court.
Prior to the issuance of the confiscation order, he penned a Facebook post on Thursday night; which reads:
‘Finally, the shenanigans in the Southwark Crown Court are drawing to a close.’
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‘Judge Tomlinson is due to make a confiscation order which should be both realisable and not punitive.’
‘However, after what transpired in court today my hopes are rapidly fading for any degree of fairness.’
‘In the 2 years it has taken to write this judgment it seems apparent that he has forgotten many of the salient points and is prioritising expediency over justice.’
‘The next steps will be to take my fight for justice to the highest courts in the UK.’
Back in 2012, Ibori faced conviction in London on charges of fraud and money laundering, resulting in a 13-year prison sentence.
In 2017, Ibori made his way back to Nigeria after serving for approximately five years.
At Thursday’s hearing, Ibori was not present, and lead prosecution counsel Jonathan Kinnear disclosed to the court that the total amount to be confiscated from Ibori was £101.5 million.
The crux of his argument was that in the event of Ibori’s non-payment, he should receive a jail sentence of five to ten years.