Ex-governor will be back in Nigeria soon

Ibori spoke of his return to Nigeria via a statement released by spokesman, Tony Eluemunor on Tuesday, January 31.

The statement reads in part:

“The British government had attempted to withdraw the case from court five, before Justice Garnham to either the Queen’s Bench Division or the Crown Court. Ibori’s lawyers argued that this was a delay tactic by the Crown and the judge refused to grant the transfer, insisting that the case will remain in his Royal court of justice.”

“This time, the case before the court on Tuesday (yesterday) was to determine the amount of money Britain will pay Ibori as compensation for the illegal detention he was subjected to when the British prisons did not allow him to leave on the exact day his prison sentence ended in December last year, but detained him unlawfully by a day, while even seeking for ways to further deny him his freedom by locking him up illegally.

“After all the speculations over when Chief James Onanefe Ibori will return to Nigeria, Ibori himself has now confirmed that he would be homeward bound very soon. Dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s in briefing his lawyers may be the only thing standing between Ibori now and his journey to Nigeria.

“For instance, there will be mention of the Ibori London case this week Friday at the Southwark London court, for the judge to be fully informed on what is happening with the disclosure process, and to ascertain if everybody convicted in the Ibori and related cases will be appealing."

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Meanwhile, according to Eluemunor, Ibori himself told the BBC’s Mark Eastman that he was planning to appeal against his conviction and return to Nigeria “as soon as possible, may be in a matter of days.”

Ibori was jailed on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 by the UK's Southwark Crown Court after pleading guilty to ten counts of money laundering and conspiracy to defraud.

He was arrested in Dubai on May 13, 2010, on an international warrant after being declared wanted by the UK Metropolitan Police.

Ibori was subsequently extradited to the UK in April 2011, and tried on 23 counts of money laundering, forgery, and fraud.

He was accused of laundering more than $200 million but he only admitted to taking $50 million.

Ibori’s sentence was commuted to six and a half years and further reduced to four and a half years after the 645 days he had already spent in detention was taken into account.