Former Delta State Governor James Ibori’s loot was handed over to Nigeria’s federal government for £4,214,017.
Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, confirmed the news on Thursday.
In a tweet, his spokesman, Umar Gwandu, said the designated government received the Naira equivalent on May 10.
On behalf of the federal government, Malami signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the repatriation of the Ibori loot.
The repatriation, according to the AGF, is in appreciation of Nigeria’s reputation for managing recovered looted public funds.
From May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2007, Ibori served as Governor of Japan. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison in April 2012 after admitting to a nearly £50 million scam.
He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder cash, substantive charges of money laundering, and one count of receiving money transfer through deceit and fraud just two months before.
Aid Ibori’s loot “could be in excess of £200 million, it is difficult to say,” Judge Anthony Pitts told Southwark Crown Court in London, citing other matters.
Ibori is suspected of embezzling £157 million in public funds, according to the Metropolitan Police.
“James Ibori’s sentence sends a clear and powerful message to those who want to use the United Kingdom as a haven for their crimes,” said Andrew Mitchell, the UK International Development Secretary at the time.
