Ibori bags 13 years jail sentence

Ibori bags 13 years jail sentence

A SOUTHWARK Court judge,Justice Anthony Pitts has sentenced former Delta State governor,James Onanefe Ibori, to 13 years after pleading guilty to 10 counts of fraud and money laundering, however, he will only serve about four years and nine months .
Handing down the judgement to a silent courtroom at about 3.25pm on tuesday, Judge Anthony Pitts said:"Total sentence which I impose on you is 13 years. You are to serve half of that. The six hundred and twenty fivedays which you have spent in custody are to be credit to the amount of years to serve."
The Judge said he "recognizes that there is another side to the man James Ibori but he is not the proper person †̥ judge your achievements and failings as a governor, thatis up to the people of Delta State"
According to the judge,if he had fought the case, he would be looking at 24 years but will get a discount for pleading guilty. He then sentenced him to 13 years in prison.
According to reports, earlier, John Fashanu testified for Ibori saying, the former governor achieved a lot in sports and was instrumental to the end of militancy in his state.
Also a letter from a traditional ruler in Delta State acknowledging Ibori’s achievements was also admitted and read in court.
Ibori’s defense team includes Nicholas Pernel, QC; Benjamin Aina, QC; Jonathan Akinsanya, Jonathan Epele, a solicitor and another solicitor Blanca Amauwah.
At Monday’s session, which was a prelude to the former governor’s formal sentencing today – the prosecution laid bare the methods Ibori used to loot the treasury of Delta State.
According to lead prosecutor Sasha Wass, Ibori “lived and behaved like a millionaire.” She detailed how the former governor started off as a petty thief who dipped hands in the till of his employers. She told the court that the man who was once unable to afford his monthly mortgage payments “went on to live the lifestyle of a property tycoon, living like royalty.”
In February, Ibori pleaded guilty to several counts of money laundering and fraud. The prosecution said yesterday that this admission established that the whole case against Ibori was solid and proven, pointing to the greed with which the convict enriched himself by stealing from the people of Delta.
Wass said that Ibori had always planned to defraud Delta State during his time as governor, and had made preparations for it in the years before taking office. Ibori had acquired a new passport with a new date of birth in order to disguise two previous convictions for theft and fraud in the UK. She disclosed that he soon bought a house, the first in a property portfolio that by the time he stepped down as governor was valued at nearly £7 million.
This portfolio consisted of three houses in the UK: two in London and one in Dorset near the expensive private school where his three children were enrolled. In addition, the former governor purchased real estate in South Africa and Houston, Texas. Judge Anthony Pitts was shown a picture from an estate agent’s brochure of the South African mansion Ibori bought for £3 million.

This is too much †̥ stael for any man.