Ibori to take his case to EU court on human rights after losing appeal against his UK conviction

FORMER Delta State governor Chief James Ibori plans to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights after losing an appeal against his 13-year conviction in the UK when he was found guilty of 10 counts of corruption and money laundering earlier this week.

In 2012, Chief Ibori was found guilty by Southwark Crown Court after pleading guilty to a 10-count charge of fraud and money-laundering, involving at least £50m ($66m). He received a 13-year jail sentence of which he served half, as is common in the British penal system and returned to Nigeria in 2017.

On Wednesday this week, the UK Court of Appeal ruled on his attempt to get the conviction quashed but dismissed Chief Ibori's appeal, upholding his sentence. Unhappy with the decision, Chief Ibori said that the British courts have once again denied him justice and he now intends taking his case to Europe.

Tony Eluemunor, Chief Ibori's spokesman issued a statement which read: “Chief James Onanefe Ibori has instructed his lawyers to drag the United Kingdom to the Court of Appeal at the European Court of Human Rights. The Court of Appeal declined my application for leave to appeal my conviction based on Crown Prosecution and police disclosure failures compounded by police corruption unearthed way before I even arrived in the UK.

“The allegation of police corruption, at least of Mr John Macdonald, the investigating police officer in my case, started on or about 10th of September 2007 while I was still in Nigeria. This issue of police corruption was raised by a different agency of the UK government working on an entirely different case at the time.

“This material fact should have been disclosed to my legal team on my arrival in the UK but it was not disclosed because the Crown Prosecution Service and the London Metropolitan Police knew the devastating and fatal impact that would have had on the case against me. The UK authorities chose deliberately to cover it up even though my legal team asked that all-important question in open court.

“This continued cover-up, which is inimical to justice delivery, has been displayed again today by the Court of Appeal when it denied me the opportunity to appeal my conviction at the Appeal Court and possibly the Supreme Court of England and Wales. This is international conspiracy carried too far to the detriment of the integrity of the British Judicial System.”

Mr Eluemunor added that Chief Ibori vowed to fight all the way through with every breath of energy in him to pursue the cause of justice not only for his sake but because it is the right thing to do to make the world a better place and to defend the rights of the down-trodden. Meanwhile, a confiscation hearing is still expected to determine which of Chief Ibori's assets can be seized.