Chief Ibori, who served as governor between 1999 and 2007, is currently serving a 13-year jail term in a British prison after pleading guilty in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and money laundering. However, the case has become an embarrassment for Britain since one of Chief Ibori’s associates, Bhadresh Gohil, alleged that the judicial process was tainted because prosecutors had covered up evidence of police corruption.
Authorities initially denied everything and charged Mr Gohil with perverting the course of justice but that prosecution was abruptly dropped in January. In May, the CPS said it had found material evidence to support the assertion that a police officer received payment in return for information.
After an internal review of the case lasting months, the CPS said that while the material should have been disclosed to the defence, it did not call into question the validity of the convictions of Chief Ibori, Mr Gohil and others. Court proceedings on the confiscation of Chief Ibori’s assets are still dragging on and lawyers for could use the next court hearing to challenge the findings of the CPS review.
Chief Ibori first came to the attention of British police in 1991, when he was working as a cashier at Wickes, a home improvement chainstore in London and was caught stealing from the till. After returning to Nigeria, he became involved in politics and as governor of Delta State, he amassed a huge fortune and became a power-broker in the then ruling People's Democratic Party.
Among the charges to which Chief Ibori pleaded guilty amounted to the theft of about $80m. Prosecutors said that was only part of his total booty, which was kept hidden via a complex web of companies, offshore accounts and front men.
During his sentencing in 2012, the court heard that Chief Ibori had enjoyed a lavish lifestyle involving foreign properties and a fleet of luxury cars. At the time of his arrest, he had been trying to buy a $20m private jet.
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