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Ibori faces new 10-year prison sentence and a £100 million forfeiture in the United Kingdom
James Ibori, a former Delta State governor, is facing a new 10-year prison sentence for money owed to him following his conviction in a UK court in 2012.
According to Channels Television, the court is planning to seize more than £100 million ($129 million) from the former governor.
The news comes six years after Ibori returned to Nigeria after serving a prison sentence for money laundering and fraud.
The former governor has been charged by British authorities with stealing state monies and laundering them through UK banks and assets. However, Ibori’s confiscation trial commenced in February 2017.
Southwark Crown Court Judge David Tomlinson established factual findings on the amount of money linked to Ibori.
The prosecution and defence presented their arguments on how the confiscation sum should be determined based on the judge’s findings at a hearing on Thursday.
Ibori did not attend the court since he returned to Nigeria in 2017 after serving half of his sentence.
Jonathan Kinnear, the prosecution’s counsel, told the court that the total money confiscated from Ibori should be £101.5 million.
Kinnear informed the court that if he did not pay, he would risk an additional five to ten years in prison.
The judge is anticipated to issue an order on Friday or shortly thereafter.