Efforts by Nigeria's Attorney General, Michael Aondaokaa, to sabotage the prosecution of corrupt former and serving governors and other public officials bore big fruit in a London Court earlier today.
The Southwark Crown Court sitting in London earlier today lifted the restraining order placed on the worldwide assets of James Ibori, former Delta State governor. The court had on August 2, 2007 issued a freeze order on Ibori's worldwide assets estimated at $35 million. The ruling came as a result of a money laundering case the Metropolitan Police brought against the former governor.
In reviewing the order today, the court decided against granting more time to the Metropolitan Police,and therefore lifted the order.
Saharareporters has reliably learnt that Ibori's high-priced lawyers used a letter from Aondoakaa as a trump card to secure their temporary legal victory. The court's decision to unfreeze Ibori's assets followed a cleverly crafted response to Ibori’s lawyers dated August 7th, 2007 issued by Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa in which he was replying to inquiries by James Ibori’s lawyers seeking to find out if he –Ibori-was being investigated by any agency of the Nigerian government.
The letter, a reply to this bogus inquiry, asserted that the Nigerian government did not regard Ibori as a subject of any money laundering investigations at present, though it admitted that the former governor was investigated while he was in office.
"Ibori got off on the basis of Aondoakaa's blatant lie," said one irate commentator, a London-based professional who is originally from Delta State who was present in court. "The AGF knows that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has a dossier on the former Delta governor. Aondoakaa has is securing his legacy as the attorney general of the corrupt leagues," he added.
Not only did Aondoakaa present a false testament to the British court, we have also learned that the content of the letter was not disclosed to the Metropolitan Police or their lawyers. Instead, Ibori's lawyers presented the letter in court at the hearing today. It was a joker that the judge could not ignore.
Saharareporters had reported in the past about the existence of a letter or affidavit issued by Attorney General Aondoakaa to exonerate Ibori and help him beat his rap in London.
Though the Press Bureau of the Metropolitan Police has not issued an official public statement on today's ruling, Saharareporters learnt that the British Foreign office and the police are meeting to come up with a plan to appeal the ruling. An anonymous source at the Mets told our reporters that "the odds are great that this will be appealed at a higher court."
Sources at the EFCC said the anti-graft agency was in shock over the ruling and the reported role of the Attorney General in the case. They vowed that the case in London will not interfere with their on-going investigations of Ibori in Nigeria. The EFCC source told Saharareporters that they have reached a stage at their local investigations that they can arrest and prosecute James Ibori whenever he returns to Nigeria. The London Metropolitan Police source also said the investigations of Ibori's corruption continues, they cited the case of his sister, Christine Ibie, mistress , Amaka Okoronkwo and his former assistant, Adebimpe Pogoson as a testimony of their determination to nail James Ibori, these three close relatives of James Ibori were recently re-bailed from Met's custody and are scheduled to return in November for possible prosecution.
Several weeks ago, fearing that the EFCC was about to arrest him, Ibori slipped out of Nigeria and headed first for South Africa and then to the U.S. He has since being living in Miami, Florida. Last week, he sneaked into New York where he met with Yar'adua to discuss his return to Nigeria. A source at that secret meetings said Yar'adua had assured Ibori that if he can clear "the London mess," he should feel free to return to Nigeria anytime as the government would then rely on an on-going court case involving Ibori and Delta State elders at the Appeal Court to stall further investigations by the EFCC.
Before leaving the US, where he had addressed the UN Special Assembly, Yar'adua confirmed in interviews that he met with some of his former corrupt colleagues in New York, saying he didn't see anything wrong with it. However, he denied ever interfering with the current anti-corruption investigation of his former colleagues.
The Ibori case will test Yar'adua's credibility. A source close to Ibori said the former governor continues to brag that Yar'adua has no option but to shield him, noting that Yar'adua's stolen mandate was made possible by the N10 billion of Delta State funds that the former governor funneled into the
presidential campaign.
Meanwhile, Saharareporters has also learnt that a coalition of former governors facing corruption charges are pressuring Yar'adua to remove the EFCC's Nuhu Ribadu before the week runs out.
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