Nigeria: Ex-Delta State Governor Pleads Guilty

Abuja--Former governor of Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta State, James Ibori has pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and money-laundering in a British court where he is accused of stealing $250 million over eight years.

Ibori who served two terms as Delta state governor between 1999 and 2007, was once viewed as Nigeria’s wealthiest and most influential politician. He was arrested in Dubai in 2010 on British warrant and extradited to UK last year to face charges on fraud and money laundering.

Mr Ibori pleaded guilty to 10 counts of money laundering and conspiracy to fraud  but pleaded not guilty to a further 13 similar charges during his Monday’s trial at Southwark Crown Court in London where he admitted stealing money from Delta state and laundering it in London through a number of offshore companies.

Prosecutor Sasha Wass described Ibori’s tenure as governor as a time of wide-scale theft, fraud and corruption terming him as “a thief in the government office of Delta state.” In the prosecution, he is also said to have tricked his way into becoming the state governor by giving false reports of his criminal record and date of birth.

"He was never the legitimate governor and there was effectively a thief in government house. As the pretender of that public office, he was able to plunder Delta state's wealth and hand out patronage."

He admitted also on conspiring with others in pocketing $37 million of state fund from the sale of shares it owned in the telecoms company V Mobile through his London solicitor Bhadresh Gohil who has since been jailed for 10 years. He is due to be sentenced on 16 April.

In 2007 a British court froze $35 million worth of assets allegedly belonging to him prompting him to flee the country to Nigeria where he was arrested the same year on corruption, but later the court dropped the charges.

Inspector Paul Whatmore, the officer in charge of the investigations says the vast sums of money stolen should have been used to pay for the state’s sanitation, power supply and healthcare but was used to fund Ibori’s lavish lifestyle; spent buying six houses in London and putting his children through expensive private schools.

"We will now be actively seeking the confiscation of all of his stolen assets so they can be repatriated for the benefit of the people of Delta State," said Inspector Whatmore.

Conviction of Ibori’s wife, Theresa, his sister Christine, his mistress Udoamaaka Okoronkwo and his London solicitor on separate money-laundering trials could only be reported on Monday after reporting restrictions were lifted.

He has earlier been convicted in Britain where in 1991 he was charged for stealing in cahoots with his wife who then worked as a cashier for a London store and also in 1992 for being in possession of a stole credit card and having used it to fraudulently withdraw $1,590.

 Britain's Department for International Development (DFID) said all funds recovered through the confiscation of Ibori's assets would be given back to the people of Delta. 

Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer but income from the commodity finds its ways into pockets of few rich individuals, as millions others continue to languish in poverty.

Disgruntlement over management of oil funds in Delta state has led to violent clashes in the state, where armed groups in the region want autonomy of the state.

Dakar, Senegal

Wade to Face Ex-Premier in Run-off

Senegal’s presidential appears to be heading for a run-off between incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade and former prime minister Macky Sall after preliminary results on Monday suggest a tight race between the two.

Sources in the electoral commission have suggested a possible run-off after unofficial results suggested Wade had failed to secure an outright majority in Sunday’s first round of the polls. Reports announced in local Media indicate that both Wade and Sall have each won between 20-35% of votes, more than any of the other 12 candidates.

Mr Wade was booed by the crowd, shouting: “get out, old man” as he turned out to cast his vote on Sunday in the capital, Dakar, forcing him to skip a planned press briefing. He is said to have lost his constituency seat in Dakar suburb of Point E as announced in reports by country’s national broadcaster APS news agency.

If no candidate secures more than 50% of votes, a second round would be held between March 18 and April 1.

The electoral commission says it will publish its first provisional results on Tuesday in the process which remained peaceful throughout, even though it was marred by violent protests, weeks to polls over Wade’s candidacy.

Wade was cleared to run for a third term by country’s top court despite serving a constitutional limit of two, sparking off angry protests from opposition leaders against the decision by the constitutional court that also barred three of the opposition candidates including renowned musician Youssou N’dour from contesting.

Wade’s spokesman Serigne Mbacke Ndiaye said the 85 year-old leader is confident of winning the first round with the required number of votes to avoid a run-off saying that he was well ahead against his closest contender.

Mr Sall who is running for the first time has hinted that “a second round is inevitable” claiming victory in biggest regions in the country. He says it would be easy to win the second round as he expects other opposition leaders to throw their support behind him.

Sall, a 50 year-old geologist and mayor of the western town of Fatick served as prime minister from 2004 to 2007, but fell out with the president for summoning his son Karrim Wade to answer questions in parliament.

Sall who is from a modest economic background was the only opposition candidate to carry out a countrywide campaign and was one of the most vocal leaders of the June 23 movement that rose up against Wade.

A defiant wade has declined calls from international community to step down but he maintains he needs few years to finish on his projects even after being criticised for not doing much in his 12 years in power to alleviate country’s poverty.

Wade came to power in 2000 ending the country’s socialist rule following 26 years in opposition where he had staged four unsuccessful presidential bids. Senegal remains the only West African mainland nation that has never faced coups since independence.