Ibori faces the prospect of another 10 years in a UK jail if he fails to meet confiscation payments

FORMER Delta State governor Chief James Ibori could face the prospect of a fresh arrest warrant issued against him in the UK as Southwark Crown Court is set to order the seizure of more than £100m ($129m) worth of assets which he amassed illegally in the UK.

Chief Ibori, a former Delta State governor, who admitted to stealing more than $250m was sentenced to 13 years in jail back in 2012 after he pleaded guilty to money laundering and corruption. He has since served his term and has returned to Nigeria where he remains among the power brokers in Delta State but the court has since been trying to determine what happens to his UK assets.

Prosecutors from the London Metropolitan Police found that Chief Ibori used the money he stole from Delta State to buy six houses in London. He paid £2.2m in cash for one of those mansions in Hampstead and he also bought a £13m jet, a £600,000 fleet of Range Rovers, and a £120,000 Bentley.

Theoretically, Chief Ibori, faces a risk of a fresh 10-year jail term as confiscation proceedings against him which began in February 2017 come to a close.  Judge David Tomlinson of Southwark Crown Court has made factual findings regarding the amount of money linked to Chief Ibori and is expected to conclude and issue an order soon.

During a hearing yesterday, the prosecution and the defence presented their arguments on how the confiscation figure should be calculated based on the judge’s findings. Prosecution lawyer Jonathan Kinnear, told the court that the total amount that should be confiscated from Chief Ibori was £101.5m.

Mr Kinnear told the court that if he fails to pay, he should face an additional prison term of five and 10 years. It is likely that Chief Ibori will pay any amount he is asked to however, to bring a closure to the matter.