London Court Confiscation Order: Ibori’s Sister, Christine Ibie Ibori Ordered To Refund £.829 Million In 6 Months Or Spend Extra 5 Years In Prison

Christine Ibori_Ibie stepping out of Southwark Crown Court in June 2010

By SaharaReporters, New York

The Southwark Crown Court in London, which has sent James Ibori money-laundering operatives to jail in recent months, yesterday granted a confiscation of proceeds of crime order against the jailed sister of the former Delta state governor.
Judge Christopher Harding ruled that Christine Ibori-Ibie, who was jailed for five years last June, benefited from looted Delta state funds by over £4 million.
Christine, who appeared in court yesterday, refused to give evidence in the confiscation trial.  Under the order, she is required to pay £832,000 in the next six months or risk bagging a fresh five years in the slammer in addition to the five years she is now serving for engaging in money laundering with James Ibori.  The £829, 000 is made of up of the value of her property in London minus what she owes in mortgage loans.
Despite Christine’s refusal to give any evidence yesterday, her lawyers agreed that the figures were correct.  She made it known, however, that she did not agree that she benefited from the Delta State loot to the extent of the amount declared by the court.
The London Metropolitan police, working through the "Proceed Of Crimes Unit” (POCU), comprising a few Scotland Yard police detectives: John MackDonald, Peter Clarke, Paul Garnener and Ben Irons, have relentlessly pursued former governors James Ibori, Dipreye Alamieyeseigha and Joseph Dariye. The three former governors of Delta, Plateau and Bayelsa States used UK banks, to launder funds looted from their respective states.

The team, working with a female prosecutor, Sasha Wass, QC, has succeeded in jailing accomplices of the three former governors while they await the extradition of Mr. Ibori, who is currently in Dubai.  Last month, Mr. Ibori appealed the decision of a lower court there granting an extradition request by the London Metropolitan Police.
The CPS and London Mets police will continue with confiscation hearings to regain all assets purchased by convicted members of the Ibori clan.

A number of Delta State indigenes and officials were indicted in the trial but could not be tried as the UK does not try criminals in absentia except in terrorism cases. The notable accomplices who could not be tried include the recently deposed Delta State governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan; his deputy, Prof. Utuama; as well as David Edevbie who was Ibori's commissioner of finance before taking office as Principal Private Secretary to Umaru Yar’Adua.
Despite his indictment, Uduaghan is battling to retake office as Delta state governor, the position from which he was sacked two weeks ago by the Court of Appeal.   One of the attractions of the office for him is the promise of immunity while in office.
An attempt by the EFCC to arrest and prosecute him over Ibori-era corruption has been stopped by President Goodluck Jonathan, according to EFCC officials that spoke to Saharareporters under condition of anonymity.

The political mathematics in Delta State is straightforward: Ibori covered his tracks by putting Uduaghan, his cousin, in office after him, and Uduaghan is thought to be interested in using the same strategy to protect their future, at least in Nigeria.  But if an opponent of both men takes office in the election set for within 90 days by the Court of Appeal, Delta State could enjoy a new start.

Source: saharareporters.com