Ibori released, re-arrested in London after completing jail term

Ibori released, re-arrested in London after completing jail term

- Ex-governor released after completing initial jail term

- Re-arrested to face fresh charges

- New location unknown as at press time

James Ibori, the former Delta state governor, has been rearrested in the United Kingdom after initially regaining freedom from a London prison.

The ex-governor, who reportedly completed his prison terms in the United Kingdom bagged a 13-year in April 2012 by a Southwark Crown court in London and was released by prison authorities on January 22.

He finished his prison term at Her Majesty’s Prison in Bedford, outside of London, after initially being held at the Long Lartin Prison in Worcestershire.

According to PM News, a prison source at Bedford confirmed on Tuesday night that, "He is out of here." but his new destination is yet to be confirmed.

Ibori was reportedly re-arrested to face another charge which borders on the confiscation of his ill-gotten assets, estimated to be about 250 million pounds as sources confirmed that the case initially billed for May, will now come up in June.

Ibori, 57, had been jailed for using UK financial institutions to misappropriate hundreds of millions of pound sterling he stole from public funds in Delta state and his journey to jail began with his arrest on May 13, 2010 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

He was nabbed under Interpol arrest warrants issued from United Kingdom courts and enacted by the Metropolitan Police.

Ibori also recently reacted to claims by Abubakar Malami, Nigeria's minister of justice and attorney-general of the federation (AGF) that the federal government will soon recover £6.9 million stolen funds frittered away by him.

In a statement issued on his behalf by Tony Eluemunr, his media aide, Ibori said: "There is no Ibori loot anywhere in the world. Such money, whether in British pounds, American dollars or the Nigerian naira just does not exist. This is because the Ibori London trial is not yet over.

"It is an incontrovertible fact that the confiscation hearing has not started at all, and remains months away into the future."

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
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Khadijah Thabit (Copyeditor) Khadijah Thabit is an editor with over 3 years of experience editing and managing contents such as articles, blogs, newsletters and social leads. She has a BA in English and Literary Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Khadijah joined Legit.ng in September 2020 as a copyeditor and proofreader for the Human Interest, Current Affairs, Business, Sports and PR desks. As a grammar police, she develops her skills by reading novels and dictionaries. Email: khadeeejathabit@gmail.com

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