Dubai police will extradite Ibori to London soon – Report

Written by The Punch Tuesday, 27 July 2010

The embattled former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, will soon be extradited to London, a Dubai Police source has said.

Ibori was arrested by police investigators at a five star hotel in Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on May 12, 2010. He is wanted in the United Kingdom on charges of money laundering.

The ex-governor was initially arraigned before a Dubai court but was granted bail. A couple of days after, the bail was revoked by the same court and he was consequently detained on a request by the Metropolitan Police of London.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is working with the Metropolitan Police in London to ensure that Ibori is extradited to London.

Gulf News.com reported on Monday that if extradited, Ibori would become the second person to be sent to Britain for trial under a 2008 treaty between the UK and UAE.

The former governor sneaked to the oil-rich kingdom after futile attempts by a combined team of policemen and the EFCC operatives to arrest him over a petition by Delta State Elders and Leaders Forum alleging that he used funds belonging to the state to purchase the Nigerian unit of American oil servicing company, Wilbros.

Before the forum’s petition, the former governor, who is alleged to have looted between $85m and $290m from Delta State Government coffers while in office, was charged before a Federal High Court in Asaba. But in April 2010, the court absolved him of all the allegations of corruption against him.

In the wake of the manhunt for him, the former governor headed for the same high court in Asaba, asking for an order preventing the EFCC and police from arresting him.

The court however ruled that the anti-graft commission could arrest him.

Ibori’s sister, Mrs. Christine Ibori-Ibie, and an associate, Ms Udoamaka Okonkwo-Onuigbo, were on June 7, 2010, sentenced to five years imprisonment each by the Southwark Crown Court in London for assisting Ibori to launder part of the looted funds.

His confidential secretary, Mrs Bimpe Pogoson, was also tried but was acquitted by the court, which also ordered that $35m worth of Ibori’s assets be frozen since they were the proceeds of corruption.

Gulf News also quoted the Deputy Chief of Dubai Police, Maj.-Gen. Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, as having denied reports that members of the UK Serious and Organised Crime Agency had interrogated Ibori in his Dubai prison cell.

He said, ”Based on the laws of the UAE, no foreign country or any foreign police/intelligence service of any foreign country is allowed to interrogate any suspect in the UAE.

”Only Dubai Police officials and officials from the Interior Ministry are allowed to interrogate our suspects.

Foreign police services can request for information, arrests, and extradition through Interpol.”