British High Commissioner Paul Arkwright, who spoke on the fraud case of former governor of Delta state James Ibori, has revealed what will become of his loot.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria spoke about the ongoing Ibori case and when his stolen loot could be returned to Nigeria.
Ibori pled guilty to ten counts of money laundering and conspiracy to commit fraud in February 2012 and was sentenced to 13 years in jail.
Along with imprisonment, Ibori also had a substantial amount of property seized, including a N648 billion mansion in London, a N942 billion mansion in Johannesburg, South Africa, and a number of cars including several Range Rover jeeps, a Bentley Continental GT, and a top of the range Mercedes.
In an interview with Punch, Arkwright said that the British government remains in the possession of Ibori’s stolen loot.
“The UK has ensured that assets seized, confiscated or forfeited that fall within Article 57 United Nations Convention Against Corruption 2005 are returned to the country from which they were stolen. We are working with the Nigerian authorities to deliver an effective mechanism for the return of stolen funds and assets from Nigeria.
“None of the money from Ibori’s confiscation has as yet been returned; his confiscation hearing is scheduled to take place later in 2016. Assets have been forfeited and confiscated from linked trials and we are, through the Home Office, working on the modality of their return, he said.
“The UK government does not aid corruption in Nigeria or elsewhere. The arrest and prosecution of James Ibori in a UK court demonstrates our commitment to this agenda.”
However, Arkwright also refused to say whether the British government will accede to President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for the extradition of former petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madeuke.
Alidon-Madeuke remains embroiled in a corruption scandal after being arrested by the British authorities on October 2, 2015.
“It is a matter of public record that £27,000 was seized from Diezani Allison-Madueke at Westminster Magistrates Court along with smaller sums from two other individuals, but we are not providing any further detail at this time and it should not be inferred that this relates to any previous statements made by the UK National Crime Agency,” Arkwright said.
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