When James Ibori was sentenced to 13 years in jail on Tuesday April 17, 2012, many thought that was the end of the road for the former Delta State governor.
Not even the reduction of the term to 4½ years by the presiding Judge, Nicholas Pitts, was enough to convince many that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain might not be all the bad things he was said to have been.
In what may be described as an unexpected twist of fate, Ibori has risen to haunt those who sent him to jail.
Well, that seems to be the case as recent revelations are making clear.
Ibori was expected to undergo a confiscation trial apart from the first trial and he is expected to lose some of his assets in the UK.
His camp is excited at the prospect of Ibori leaving jail in March 2016 before going for his confiscation hearing
As things stand, it looks like the tide is turning in Ibori’s favour.
Ibori’s erstwhile accusers have become the ones in the dock.
His former lawyer, Badresh Gohil, who was also sentenced to jail, has provided details which point to the rotten underbelly of not just the British police but its justice system.
The evidence was presented before Lord Tomlinson at the same Southwark court by Ibori’s defence lawyers who shocked the Southwark Court, on Wednesday February 10, 2016, with their revelations.
Ibori’s former lawyer, the Indian barrister, Badresh Gohil, dropped a bombshell that has left the British judicial system in disarray.
His allegations of professional misconduct, dishonesty, perverting the course of justice and criminal non-disclosures as well as lying to the trial court and Court of Appeal have left Ibori’s accusers reeling and running from the case.
A thoroughly disgusted Lord Tomlinson who has taken over the case from Justice Pitts who is soon-to-retire, had to issue an order requiring the Metropolitan Police and prosecution team to appear in court by 2pm after they failed to appear on the morning of February 10.
According to him, long before the Ibori confiscation trial was due to commence, the British government had reached an agreement with the Nigerian government requiring the Nigerian government pay the British Department for International Development (DFID) £25 million from monies that will be confiscated from Ibori, before any remittance is made to Nigeria.
To prove his case, Gohil showed that the DFID is paying the salaries of some police investigators on the Ibori case, especially Detective Constable, John McDonald.
Gohil’s allegations has had consequences. Two prosecutors, Sasha Wass and Esther Schutzer-Weissmann have been dismissed from the Ibori case. All the prosecution lawyers plus the entire police officers that have represented the British police have been dismissed from the Ibori case and all other cases stemming from it – following allegations of corruption against them; lies and deliberate misleading of the court.
Responding, Head of Ibori Media Office, Tony Eluemunor, said in a statement, “the hunters have become the hunted and Ibori’s defence team became the accusers while Ibori’s erstwhile accusers and prosecutors were the accused.”
