ibori says he did not plead guilty to cooruption charges

Former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, who is
facing a 10-count charge of stealing, money laundering
and corruption at a London court, yesterday, denied
pleading guilty to corruption charges.
Ibori, in a statement signed by his media assistant, Mr
Tony Eluemunor, also explained why he pleaded guilty to
money laundering charges, saying: “Ibori did not want a
long-drawn trial where Nigeria’s name would be bandied
about in a foreign court.”
According to Eluemunor, “the world was made to believe
that Ibori’s guilty plea was a sudden turn around and not
a well-deliberated act that was part of a plea bargain
deal. But it is on record that several Nigerian newspapers
of last Sunday published different versions of that story;
that Ibori would plead guilty as part of a plea bargain
arrangement.
“Of course, that plea bargain deal would only kick in with
Ibori’s pleading guilty, which he did on Monday. After
that plea, which had been successfully foretold by
Nigerian newspapers, both the prosecution and the
defence counsel were to return on April 16 and 17 to
make their needed statements.
Unfortunately, while Ibori’s lead counsel stayed true to
this time-tested legal procedure, the prosecution counsel
went rogue and began to make wild and unfounded
statements aimed at nothing but self-glorification and
Ibori’s demonisation.
“What was not clear to Nigerians was that the
prosecution lawyers were labouring at damage control as
the publication in several Nigerian newspapers of last
Sunday had leaked out the secret that the seven-year
investigation against Ibori had not only cost the British
taxpayer £14 million but was funded by the DfID —the
Department of Foreign Development.
The visit of London Metropolitan Police
“The prosecution then laboured hard to justify the
money spent and stave off another official inquiry into
the much investigated London Metropolitan Police, that
have been accused often of grave misdeeds.
Consequently, the London Metropolitan Police invited
droves of media agencies and several statements to
justify their jamborees in the sun, whereby agents
visited the far-flung corners of the earth with little to
show for their efforts.
“They even visited Nigeria three times, and lowly
policemen who had never shaken hands with their
British superiors had dinner with former President
Olusegun Obasanjo in the deep recesses of Aso Rock
Presidential Villa, Abuja. Some of the statements were
contradictory; some totally wild and even insane.
“Worst of all, several foreign media quoted the London
Police list of landed property they claimed belonged to
Ibori, that they promised to confiscate. But anyone who
has followed the cases concerning Ibori’s sister and
Udoamaka Okoronkwo would have noticed that some of
the same buildings featured prominently there. The truth
is that what is at stake in London for now is just about
three average buildings, finish.
What matters
“What matters to Ibori is that all corruption charges were
dropped by the London Police for lack of evidence. Any
claim that any corruption charge he is facing is pure
propaganda. He did not plead guilty to any corruption
charge.
With the corruption charges removed because they could
not be proved beyond any reasonable doubt, the Police
stayed with money laundering charges, to be proved by
nothing but inference — the convincing of a jury of white
persons. No proof, no evidence would be needed then,
no documentary truths would be established.
“The British and the Nigerian establishments have been
driving this case to a pre-determined end, and a battle
weary Ibori was advised to plead guilty, end what had
promised to be a long-drawn trial, and begin to rebuild
his life which had been tossed about in an ocean of legal
controversy and trials because of politics— since 2003,
that is nine long years ago. Also, Ibori did not want a
long-drawn trial where Nigeria’s name would be bandied
about in a forign court.”



Na wa o who we come believe nw