Judge David Tomlinson of Southwark Crown Court in the United Kingdom (UK) is poised to order the seizure of more than 100 million pounds ($129 million) from former Delta State governor James Ibori, who was convicted in Britain of fraud and money laundering.
Ibori, a close friend of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, served as Delta governor from 1999 until 2007.
In 2012, the former governor guilty to ten counts of fraud and money laundering and was sentenced to 13 years in jail.
After fleeing Nigeria, he was extradited from Dubai to London in 2011.
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He was charged by British authorities with stealing state monies and laundering them through UK banks and assets.
Judge Tomlinson has made factual findings regarding how much money Ibori benefitted from his misdeeds as the confiscation proceedings against him near completion.
According to Reuters, the prosecution and defense submitted their arguments on how the confiscation sum should be computed based on the judge’s conclusions during a hearing on Thursday. On Friday, the judge is anticipated to make his decision.
The prosecution counsel, Jonathan Kinnear, told the court that the total money that should be confiscated from Ibori was 101.5 million pounds, and that if he did not pay, he would face an additional five to ten years in prison.
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According to Reuters, James Ibori intends to appeal the seizure order.
According to news reports, Ibori is a prominent political godfather with close ties to President Tinubu.
He has paid three visits to the president at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
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