Ibori’s freedom , total, final

·         Not under close watch, not ordered to report to police, says media aide

Claims and insinuations that Chief James Onanefe Ibori, who released from London Prison on Wednesday are false, according to Mr. Tony Eluemunor, media assistant to the former governor of Delta State.  

Chief James Ibori, freedom at last.

Eluemunor said the release of Ibori on the orders of the court is total and without condition, as he was not placed under any Police restriction and does not have to report to the Police at all.

Appararently debunking reports in some quarters, the media aide said the former Delta state governor was not placed under any Police surveillance with intent to monitor his movements.

He called attention that even a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report of Wednesday, entitled “Nigerian ex-Governor James Ibori Released From UK Jail” which stated that: “On Wednesday, the Home Office said the government was concerned that Ibori might ‘frustrate confiscation proceedings and wanted him kept in jail or subject to strict controls on his movement.

A Home Office application that Ibori be electronically tagged and subject to strict

curfew conditions was also rejected after the judge accepted arguments that the

home secretary was attempting to misuse her immigration and deportation

powers”.

Eluemunor said the need to issue such clarification arose from the conflicting

reports in several media organisations over the terms guiding his release. A

mischievous on-line publication misled many Nigerians into believing that Ibori

would wear an ankle tag that would beam his whereabouts to the Police and

also report weekly to the Police. But from the quoted BBC report, no such order

ever came from the court but from some corrupt and corrupting minds.

In fact, the BBC, quoting the Judge, Her Honour, Mrs. Justice Juliet May, Queen’s

Counsel, said: The position of the Secretary of State, as very candidly set out by

Mr Birdling (representing the home secretary), is that she accepts that there is

an argument that she has no power to detain him.

“I have decided that the balance of convenience falls heavily in favour of his

(Ibori’s) immediate release. I am not prepared to impose conditions involving

tagging or curfews.”

According to the statement, Chief Ibori has given every thanks and glory to the

Almighty God, for making his release from jail possible, despite the last-minute

obstacle the British Secretary of State placed on his way. He is grateful to his

team of lawyers who fought gallantly for his release. He sent his heart-felt

gratitude to the dozens of mainstream news organisations, especially in Britain

and Nigeria, that trained attention on the relentless persecution, instead of

prosecution, he was receiving and which also led to the investigation of those

who had earlier investigated and prosecuted him; the result was a far-reaching

corruption indictments within such agencies. That was when the Director of

Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders, heeding the call of the journalists,

demanded a review of the evidence following allegations that police took bribes

and prosecutors covered it up.

“The review team found material to support the assertion that a police officer

received payment in return for information,” the CPS admitted in September, the

BBC reported. Beyond all else, Ibori thanks his teeming supporters across the country for

standing behind him all through his travails. Specially, he thanks Niger Deltans for

standing solidly behind him and assured them that the justice and equity they

seek both for themselves and others in a peaceful, united, prosperous and just

Nigeria will one day be achieved.

Eluemunor added that many Nigerians may not appreciate the depth of the legal

victory Ibori achieved on Wednesday. A different verdict would have sent him

into an indefinite detention, because the confiscation hearing the British Home

Secretary wanted to detain Ibori for until it is concluded is a second one. The first

one ended September 2013, with no proof of theft of any money from Delta

state. Just when judgment was to be given, the prosecution asked for a retrial just

because they had no evidence of any theft. Surprisingly, the court granted them

their wish. Or as Vanguard newspaper published on October 8, 2013, “Assets

confiscation: UK court orders retrial of Ibori’s Case: A United Kingdom court

yesterday ordered a retrial of assets confiscation case against former Governor

James Ibori of Delta State to enable the prosecution gather enough evidence. The

London Metropolitan Police which is prosecuting the former governor had

admitted in open court on the last day of the hearing that they lacked enough

evidence to support allegations of fraud, corruption and money laundering

against Ibori. The trial judge, Mr Anthony Pitts, therefore granted the Crown

Prosecution’s request and adjourned for a retrial after both the prosecution and

defence have made their final submissions in the hearing which was supposed to

end yesterday. Reacting to Judge Anthony Pitts’ judgment, James Ibori said “after

eight years of criminal investigations, five adjournments and over 50 trips to

Nigeria, the prosecution failed to provide any tangible evidence to support their

claim that I defrauded Delta State. Their case collapsed to such an extent that on

the very last day of a three weeks hearing, they were humbled into making an

application to the judge for permission to start again which the Judge

unceremoniously granted”

Now that Ibori’s associates in the case, especially Mr. Bhadresh Gohil, has

appealed his conviction, and Ibori’s lawyers are considering going on appeal too,

the appeals will have to end before the confiscation hearing may ever begin. Also,nobody knows how long they may last; so Ibori would have remained indefinitely in detention. His freedom from this indefinite detention is the essence of Wednesday’s victory. And if the appeals are sustained, there will be no confiscation hearing at all.