BRITISH and Nigerian civil society groups have urged the British government to return the funds confiscated from former Delta State Governor James Ibori.
The groups noted that the money should be transferred in a transparent way so ordinary Nigerians can benefit from it.
Hobnob News reports that Ibori pleaded guilty in a London court in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and money laundering and was handed a 13-year jail sentence, of which he served about half before going home.
Efforts by British prosecutors to confiscate Ibori’s assets began in 2013 but have run into repeated obstacles and delays in the London courts. In July, a judge ordered the confiscation of 101.5 million pounds ($123.9 million) from him, one of the biggest orders under Britain’s Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 since it came into force.
Speaking via a letter, the coalition of close to 50 NGOs told Britain’s home and foreign affairs ministers that the delayed confiscation process has undermined the strong anti-corruption message sent by Ibori’s conviction over a decade ago.
“The years of disruption and delay in recovering and returning these stolen assets means this message has so far rung hollow for the Nigerian people,” said the letter, made public yesterday by one of its signatories, Spotlight on Corruption.
The NGOs, which also included Transparency International and Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, said funds confiscated from him should go to projects benefiting the people of Delta State and implementation should be subject to civil society monitoring.
