Convicted felon, James Ibori, moves to UK maximum prison

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Delta, Headlines, National Politics, Raw Politics, State News, Top Stories Sunday, August 19th, 2012

The former governor of Delta state, southern Nigeria, James Ibori, convicted for fraud by a court in Britain, has been transferred to the Worcestershire Long Lartin Prison outside London.

The maximum-security prison houses terrorists, rapists, drug barons and other violent criminals. A recent report in The Guardian, a United Kingdom newspaper, portrayed the prison as a rough, lawless facility where gangsters reign supreme.

According to the report, a United Kingdom official confirmed the transfer but said they could not tell what informed the move.

“Yes, Governor Ibori is now serving his prison term in the Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire,” said the official of the UK prisons.

Money laundering
In April this year, Governor Ibori was sentenced to 13 years in prison for using United Kingdom financial institutions to launder hundreds of millions of pound sterling he stole from Delta State.

The United States Department of Justice recently froze assets belonging to the former governor in Texas and Massachusetts.

According to a US Attorney General, the action means that Governor Ibori is in legal trouble in the United States, whenever he serves out his prison term in the United Kingdom.

Jail terms
Governor Ibori is expected to serve at least seven years in the UK, since he received credit for his detention in the United Arab Emirates as well as the UK, prior to his trial.

His lawyer-Bhadresh Gohil, his wife-Theresa Nkoyo, sister-Christine Ibori-Ibie, and mistress-Udoamaka Okoronkwo, were all sentenced to prison terms for aiding and abetting money laundering activities.

Ibisaki/Hajia Sani

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