Ibori looks set to appeal his 13-year jail sentence claiming police corruption in his trial

FORMER Delta State governor Chief James Ibori looks set to appeal his 13-year conviction for money laundering on the grounds that British police and lawyers involved in his case were themselves corrupt.

 

In 2012, Chief Ibori was sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to 10 -count charge of fraud and money-laundering. While in office, Ibori acquired luxury properties in Britain, the US, South Africa and Nigeria and remains the most senior Nigerian politician to have been held to account for the corruption that took place under his watch.

 

His jailing in Britain, where he had laundered millions of pounds and sent his children to an expensive private school, was hailed as a high point in the international fight against graft and an important signal to other corrupt politicians. However, Chief Ibori's lawyer, Ivan Krolick, told Southwark Crown Court on Friday that his client was 95% certain to challenge his conviction in the Court of Appeal based on documents that have only recently been disclosed to the defence by the prosecution.

 

At the same hearing, Stephen Kamlish, a lawyer for Chief Ibori's associate and convicted money launderer, Bhadresh Gohil, said the documents showed there had revealed widespread police corruption followed by a cover-up that was still going on now. The main allegation is that a police officer involved in the probe took payments for information in 2007 from a firm of private detectives working on Chief Ibori’s behalf.

 

At the time, Chief Ibori had not been arrested and was still in Nigeria but knew that British police was investigating his finances. Mr Kamlish said prosecution lawyers had known there was evidence of police corruption but had failed to disclose it to defence lawyers.