James Onanefe Ibori, former governor of Delta State, has stepped out of prison in the United Kingdom (UK) where he served a 13 years jail term for corruption and money laundering.
Ibori’s release followed a dramatic turn of events at a British High Court in London in which Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, was accused of acting unlawfully and misusing her powers, and in which some UK police officers were confirmed corrupt.
A reporter of TheNewsGuru monitoring the turn of events of the enthralling Ibori case from the UK has exclusively informed that Ibori’s sister, Christine Ibori Ibie, has lead a pack of associates of the former governor to pick him at the prison, which is a few hours away from London, with Ibori expected to be in the city in a couple of hours or so.
Also read: Efforts to keep Ibori in further detention by British govt fails
Already, there is excitement and celebrations across Nigeria, especially at Ibori’s Oghara hometown, and in the UK, among his associates who have been on ground the UK to accord him grandstanding reception.
Justice Juliet May of the British High Court ordered Ibori’s release few minutes past noon after rejecting Rudd’s request for conditions to be imposed on Ibori’s release. The visibly irritated Judge could not understand the Home Secretary’s position and at times was critical of the move to detain Ibori any further.
Rudd was refusing Ibori’s release on the ground that Ibori hands over £18m of “proceeds of crime,” but the High Court Judge said the attempts to detain him were “quite extraordinary”.
Justice May said: “You don’t hold someone just because it is convenient to do so and without plans to deport them”.
Justice May also rejected an application from UK’s Home Office that Ibori be electronically tagged and subject to strict curfew conditions, accepting arguments that the Home Secretary was attempting to misuse her immigration and deportation powers.
The Home Office’s said the government was concerned that Ibori might “frustrate confiscation proceedings” and wanted him kept in jail or subject to strict controls on his movement.
Ibori’s barrister, Ivan Krolic, explained that Ibori’s confiscation proceedings collapsed in 2013, after the prosecution was unable to establish any theft from the Delta State treasury and any benefit for Ibori.
“A three-week hearing which heard live evidence was abandoned by the prosecutors – Wass QC and Shutzer-Weissman. Both prosecutors have since been dismissed from the case for gross misconduct,” Krolic said.
Krolic further explained that British police officers in the case led by DC McDonald, have again been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and now face a tough investigation into their corrupt activities in this case.
“The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed officers in the case were corrupt. It has since disclosed substantial material evidencing the graft,” Krolic said.
The conviction of James Ibori followed a government anti-corruption campaign led by the Department for International Development (DfID) 10 years ago.
But earlier this year the Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders, demanded a review of the evidence following allegations that police took bribes and prosecutors covered it up.
“The review team found material to support the assertion that a police officer received payment in return for information,” the CPS admitted in September.
It emerged in court today that the CPS, which is pursuing the confiscation proceedings, was “neutral” about Ibori’s release and deportation.
Ian MacDonald QC, representing Ibori, said: “The Secretary of State has taken it upon herself. There is no objection from (the CPS) for release”.
“This is extraordinary,” Justice May said. “They (the CPS) don’t care.”
“Why doesn’t the Secretary of State just send him back?” she asked. “He wants to go. She wants him to go”.
Ordering Ibori’s release, Justice May said: “The Secretary of State appears to have taken it upon herself that Ibori does remain in this country, in apparent contradiction of the order served earlier this year to deport him”.
“The position of the Secretary of State, as very candidly set out by Mr Birdling (representing the Home Secretary), is that she accepts that there is an argument that she has no power to detain him.
“I have decided that the balance of convenience falls heavily in favour of his immediate release.
“I am not prepared to impose conditions involving tagging or curfews,” Justice May declared.
While Ibori has been released to be in the UK, the Judge, however, ordered that the matter of his deportation from the UK should be heard before the end of January.
For synopsis on Ibori’s release, follow the links below:
BREAKING: Bid to keep Ibori in further detention by British govt fails
BREAKING: London court orders Ibori’s immediate release
Nigerians invade London for Ibori