January 20, 2009
In the trial in London of associates of James Ibori, Nigeria’s corrupt former governor of Delta State, Christine Ibie Ibori and Adebimpe Pogoson, the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has won a major argument concerning the use of evidence gathered from Nigeria. At the Southwark Crown Court on Monday January 19, defence counsel for Christine and Adebimpe had argued that some of the materials collected from Nigeria should not be admitted into evidence on the grounds that they fell within the controversial "Letter of Request # 2" by which Attorney General of Nigeria, Michael Aondoakaa has so far stalled the proceedings.The CPS attorneys successfully countered that argument by demonstrating that the defense lawyers were only trying, desperately, anything and everything to prevent the Metropolitan Police from using the valuable evidence. The defence’s hope of blocking the evidence had led Ibori's sister to pull back from an initial plea bargain in which she was to admit committing mortgage fraud on three properties she procured using monies laundered through her by her fugitive brother, James Ibori.
(Meanwhile, Ibori's mistress and co-accused, Udoamaka Okoronkwo (nee Onuigbo), remains in custody at the all-female Holloway Prison in London as the judge handling her bail application was reportedly not impressed with the fact that prospective bail sureties put forward by her defense team are based in Nigeria and could not be present to confirm to the court under oath that they understood their money was at risk if Mrs. Okoronkwo breached any bail conditions. Ibori is clearly having difficulties getting her out on bail because most of his associates engaged in money laundering activities in the UK are unwilling to sign a bail bond that could invite the London police to look into their finances. Mrs. Okoronkwo was arrested in France on October 31 2008 on a European warrant as she waited to board a connecting flight to Lagos.
(Furthermore, the United Kingdom Home Secretary’s office has confirmed that materials in "Letters of request 1 & 2" has been copied and sent to Nigeria's AGF, Michael Aondoakaa with a renewed request for them to be used in the trials.
The AGF who is billed to go to London at the end of January 2009, is expected to answer to the requests by February 9 2009. That is the date that the defense wishes to apply for dismissal of the charges against the defendants. The date is significant as it will unveil the grounds that the defence attorneys of James Ibori’s associates wish to use to dismiss the charges they face in the UK courts. The full trials will commence towards the end 0f 2009 as prosecutors clear the hurdles presented by AGFAondoakaa in February.((The criminal proceedings in the UK are aimed at bringing to justice the money-laundering accomplices of the corrupt former governor of Delta State, James Ibori. They include his wife, Theresa Nkoyo; his sister, Chritine Ibie; his long-time assistant, Bimpe Pogoson; his UK –based lawyer, Bhadresh Gohil; and his mistress, Udoamaka Okoronkwo. Mr. Ibori, a two-time ex-convict in the UK, is currently on the run.
Also in the court room, attorneys on both sides laughed off a story pushed through Ibori's media associates that a UK Mets prosecuting official, David Williams, was in trouble over his handling of the case. A source at the Metropolitan Police described the stories about the extravagance of the police team as part of a desperate campaign instigated by Ibori as he reaches the end of the tunnel over the UK trials. In Nigeria, Ibori has so far successfully stalled his trial, as the EFCC and the office of the AGF have refused to file fresh charges of money-laundering against him and his Nigerian associates as directed by a Federal Court of Appeal in Kaduna which late last year stopped his trials before a Federal High Court in Kaduna.
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