Former governor James Onanefe Ibori of Delta State today entered a guilty plea before a Southwark Crown Court in London where he was being tried on fraud and money laundering charges.

Mr. Ibori pleaded guilty to 10 counts of fraud, money laundering and corrutption charges before Judge Anthony Pitts, Read more here: http://premiumtimesng.com/news/3963-ibori_pleads_guilty_to_money_laundering_charges_in_london_court.html

End of the road, I pray he gets life imprisonment

Now straight to jail,

Now straight to jail,

Now straight to jail,

Imagine the shame these Iboris have brought on their children: Mama na thief, Papa na thief, Aunty na thief, etc. Children from the house of convicts

Thief.

Ibori, in pleadeing guilty, has successfully protected his accomplices who could have become witnesses and exposed additional criminals in the process.  

The whole affair sounds like a plead bargain to me and an attempt to get a smaller jail term. I wouldn't be surprised if he is sentenced to time served and released.

Thank GOD for a morally upright judicial system in Uk. However, I think that his guilty plea is not ordinary.

. . . waiting to hear the sentence . . .

A band of robbers that family is.

What a shame. Hardwork is now a thing to be avoided. What a country.

You people don't even no the law!! ibori will get lesser sentence if he plead guilty that's how the system works in UK plus he had served 4 over 1yr in remand

Da infamous:

You people don't even no the law!! ibori will get lesser sentence if he plead guilty that's how the system works in UK plus he had served 4 over 1yr in remand

What difference does it make? Not as if we want him to rot in jail for the rest of his life. Justice served is enough.

Afterall how much did he steal compared to OBJ.

Yes the Ogidigbodigbo has been caught pants down, and it is not a pretty sight. Potentially he could get 10yrs, he would most likely serve 5yrs if he is a good boy

The prosecutor called him a "thief in government house". something we Nigerians are not brave enought to do. Full story below


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17181056

Nigeria ex-Delta state governor James Ibori guilty plea
The wife, sister and mistress of James Ibori have also been convicted of money-laundering Continue reading the main story
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James Ibori, a former governor of one of Nigeria's oil-producing states, has pleaded guilty in a UK court to 10 counts of money-laundering and conspiracy to defraud.

British police accuse him of stealing $250m (£160m) over eight years.

The prosecutor called him a "thief in government house".

Mr Ibori, once seen as one of Nigeria's wealthiest and most influential politicians, was arrested in 2010 in Dubai and then extradited to London.

Some $35m of his alleged UK assets were frozen in 2007.

As his trial at London's Southwark Crown Court was about to begin, Mr Ibori changed his plea to guilty and admitted stealing money from Delta state and laundering it in London through a number of offshore companies.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
We will now be actively seeking the confiscation of all of his stolen assets so they can be repatriated for the benefit of the people of Delta state”
End Quote
Paul Whatmore

Metropolitan Police
The BBC's Chris Summers says between 20 and 30 of Mr Ibori's supporters turned up to court - some wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Free Ibori". There was not enough room for them all in the public gallery.

Prosecuting QC Sasha Wass said Mr Ibori, 53, had "tricked" his way into becoming Delta state governor, by giving a false date of birth and claiming he had no criminal record.

"He was never the legitimate governor and there was effectively a thief in government house. As the pretender of that public office, he was able to plunder Delta state's wealth and hand out patronage."

He is due to be sentenced on 16 April.

'Lavish lifestyle'

Mr Ibori's wife, Theresa, his sister, Christine, his mistress, Udoamaaka Okoronkwo, and his London solicitor, Bhadresh Gohil, have all been convicted of money-laundering.

Their convictions could only be reported on Monday after reporting restrictions were lifted.

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had asked the UK's Metropolitan police to look into the ex-governor's financial affairs.

"The vast sums of money involved were used to fund Mr Ibori's lavish lifestyle," Detective Inspector Paul Whatmore, the officer in charge of the investigation, said.

"We will now be actively seeking the confiscation of all of his stolen assets so they can be repatriated for the benefit of the people of Delta State."

He said that the money Mr Ibori stole should have been used to pay for sanitation, power supplies and healthcare for some of the poorest people in the world.

Mr Ibori spent the stolen money on houses in London and put his children in the best private schools in the UK.

DIY theft

He also bought a fleet of armoured Land Rovers and Bentleys and was in the process of buying a $32m private jet.

Three of the money-laundering charges relate to the sale of Delta state's share in V-Mobile to Akwa Ibom state.

This raised $37m which Mr Ibori stole and laundered through his solicitor Gohil, who has been jailed for 10 years.

In 2007, a UK court froze assets allegedly belonging to him worth $35m.

His annual salary as Delta state governor was less than $25,000.

He had already left the UK when his assets were seized but he was arrested in Nigeria later that year.

The charges were dismissed but he was then re-arrested in Dubai on a British warrant.

Mr Ibori has been convicted in the UK before - in 1991 for stealing, in cahoots with his wife who worked as a cashier, from the Neasden, London, branch of the DIY shop Wickes.

He was also found guilty in 1992 for being in possession of a stolen credit card and having used it to fraudulently take out $1,590.

Under Nigeria's federal system, state governors enjoy huge powers and control budgets larger than those of many West African countries.

They have immunity from prosecution while in office.

Two other former state governors have been convicted of corruption charges in Nigeria, after fleeing the UK while free on bail.

The banks that laundered the money are also guilty of a crime.

Indeed, all the money looted from Africa has ended up in western financial institutions.

If the banks were not so willing to accept these looted funds, Africa wouldn't be in the mess it is in today.

In British law, the handler of stolen goods is more guilty than the thief.

There's good news for Nigerians with former Governor James Onanefe Ibori (the self-styled Ogidigborigbo of Africa!) admitting that he was a thief during his governorship. A small consolation for Nigerians outraged by the rampancy and scale of corruption in our space. Isn't it amazing that that Nigerian prosecutors and courts couldn't find one tiny accusation to stick to Ibori. It took UK authorities to finally corner the mercurial thief, and to force him to confess. Left to Nigerian courts, Ibori would have lived happily ever after, feted as one of the PDP's elders!

James Ibori, a former governor of one of Nigeria's oil-producing states, has pleaded guilty in a UK court to 10 counts of money-laundering and conspiracy to defraud.

British police accuse him of stealing $250m (£160m) over eight years.

[b]The prosecutor called him a "thief in government house".[/b]Mr Ibori, once seen as one of Nigeria's wealthiest and most influential politicians, was arrested in 2010 in Dubai and then extradited to London.

Some $35m of his alleged UK assets were frozen in 2007.

As his trial at London's Southwark Crown Court was about to begin, Mr Ibori changed his plea to guilty and admitted stealing money from Delta state and laundering it in London through a number of offshore companies.

The BBC's Chris Summers says between 20 and 30 of Mr Ibori's supporters turned up to court - some wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Free Ibori". There was not enough room for them all in the public gallery.

Prosecuting QC Sasha Wass said Mr Ibori, 53, had "tricked" his way into becoming Delta state governor, by giving a false date of birth and claiming he had no criminal record.

"He was never the legitimate governor and there was effectively a thief in government house. As the pretender of that public office, he was able to plunder Delta state's wealth and hand out patronage."

He is due to be sentenced on 16 April.


Mr Ibori's wife, Theresa, his sister, Christine, his mistress, Udoamaaka Okoronkwo, and his London solicitor, Bhadresh Gohil, have all been convicted of money-laundering.

Their convictions could only be reported on Monday after reporting restrictions were lifted.

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had asked the UK's Metropolitan police to look into the ex-governor's financial affairs.

"The vast sums of money involved were used to fund Mr Ibori's lavish lifestyle," Detective Inspector Paul Whatmore, the officer in charge of the investigation, said.

"We will now be actively seeking the confiscation of all of his stolen assets so they can be repatriated for the benefit of the people of Delta State."

He said that the money Mr Ibori stole should have been used to pay for sanitation, power supplies and healthcare for some of the poorest people in the world.

Mr Ibori spent the stolen money on houses in London and put his children in the best private schools in the UK.

DIY theft

He also bought a fleet of armoured Land Rovers and Bentleys and was in the process of buying a $32m private jet.

Three of the money-laundering charges relate to the sale of Delta state's share in V-Mobile to Akwa Ibom state.

This raised $37m which Mr Ibori stole and laundered through his solicitor Gohil, who has been jailed for 10 years.

In 2007, a UK court froze assets allegedly belonging to him worth $35m.

His annual salary as Delta state governor was less than $25,000.

He had already left the UK when his assets were seized but he was arrested in Nigeria later that year.

The charges were dismissed but he was then re-arrested in Dubai on a British warrant.

Mr Ibori has been convicted in the UK before - in 1991 for stealing, in cahoots with his wife who worked as a cashier, from the Neasden, London, branch of the DIY shop Wickes.

He was also found guilty in 1992 for being in possession of a stolen credit card and having used it to fraudulently take out $1,590.

Under Nigeria's federal system, state governors enjoy huge powers and control budgets larger than those of many West African countries.

They have immunity from prosecution while in office.

Two other former state governors have been convicted of corruption charges in Nigeria, after fleeing the UK while free on bail.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17181056

This 2012 belle, enof pickins dey wey e go born!

The prosecutor called him a "thief in government house".

Chai, I wonder how he felt when the pronouncement was made. Anyway. I don buy ticket, I must be in court in the 16th of April for his sentencing

What happens to his godson/cousin, Uduaghan?? i hope he is watching? Some grace to grass shit! But bone, dat Ibori guy don enjoy die, small price jare! And when he comes out, he'll still pack his money, no be naija again? Sorry niggah, ur papa no be Esama, him for pull strings for u as he take do for lucky. . .

Ok

This man and his family are big time criminals. Imagine being convicted in 1991 for petty stealing chai! Delta people no try o.

Other looters will prefer to stay in Nigeria henceforth since the law here is double standard

"A thief in government house" a simple and poignant statement. No need to paint it in rose colored words like embezzled, mismanagement or laundered money. NO! Ibori you are a THIEF.

And this guy was a mover, shaker and King maker under Yaradua. Calling him a Thief, right in face is more powerful than the actual sentence.

There are more thieves seating in govt houses in other states as we speak. One day I hope we get the opportunity to call them THIEVES

OLE !!!!!!
BARAWO !!!!!!

So What?
We have a society and culture in which there are "No Taboos". So he goes to prison and comes out?
Since when has going to prison or having a criminal record ever had stigma attached to it in Nigerian Society?
He'll be out and about in not time spending his wealth (which is the only thing we respect).
The Shamelessnes of the whole situation is that he was able to get into office the first place.
He was then arrested and charges dismissed!
It took another Countries justice system, police investigation and criminal code
to convict a thief that couldn't and would never be convicted in his own country. I have long been an
advocate for the partnered - recolonization of Africa because we are demonstrably unable to run our own affairs
honestly and competently and with any form of moderation. We excel when functioning in other peoples countries
where structure applies but we are demonstrably incapable of doing it for ourselves. It is not a criticism, it
is just a fact.
Nigeria is, and will contiue to be a Kleptocracy, with no contraints and no bounderies.
It's hard to fathom how one of the most corrupt countries on the planet can give it's leaders immunity from
prosecution.
This man is no immigrant. He is a product of our society and in it he has thrived.
This is a Nation set up to fail, and have it brightest washing toilets in Germany, France and the U.K.
It breaks my heart but i have long given up the fallacy called Nigerian because it's not about Government,
all these people are are products of our society.
What a pathetic state of affairs with no true way forward.
I thank the U.K for demonstrating that there is some form of Rule of Law that can be applied to African Leader, that
is utterly impossible to apply in their native countries.

The shameless old mudaphuka of a judge that discharged and aquitted him in Naija will be hiding his corrupt head in shame now. Shameless old man

'A thief in government house'- in a way l just can't explain, saying this to him, face to face can fill a thousand pages book that fine sounding declarations bandied about in irresponsible fashion can't capture.

Damn, this guy was once like a god in Nigeria.

Everyday for the thief, one day for the owner!!!

Go to jail go directly to jail, do not seek bail and do not ask for a lighter sentence.

kokoA:

The shameless old mudaphuka of a judge that discharged and aquitted him in Naija will be hiding his corrupt head in shame now. Shameless old man

Sorry to burst чυя bubble but Τ̲̅ђε̲̣̣̣̥ morafacker Iƨ̣̣̣̇̇̇ too busy counting his billions to care about чυя rants.