A Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, Edo State on Thursday, May 15, ruled that James Ibori, a former Delta State Governor would face prosecution in Nigeria when he is done serving his present 13-year jail term in the United Kingdom.
In a unanimously judgement delivered by the 3-man panel made up of Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, Justices P. M Ekpe and H. A Barka, the court upturned the “infamous ruling” given six years ago by Justice Marcel Awokulehin of an Asaba Federal High Court, which acquitted the former governor of a 170-count of money laundering levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, who led the panel of judges, said, “First, the trial judge, (Awokulehin), looked at the proof of evidence and evaluated same as if the prosecution had called all his witnesses and trial had been concluded. Second, the procedure is by way of summary trial and not trial by indictment or information.”
He also added that the proof of evidence clearly showed that a prima facie case had been established against the accused and that Awokulehin had erred when he held that no case was established against Ibori.
He described the judgment as “unwarranted, unreasonable and against the weight of proof of evidence filed by the prosecution in support of the charges.”
It is truly a long, tortuous path to Ibori’s freedom, if there is any in sight any time soon.