In response to claims by prosecutors in the United Kingdom that he is a major shareholder in oil company, Oando, former Delta State Governor James Ibori has said that he only has 443 shares in the company wonder why their are reports to the contrary.
Sources say Ibori, who is currently serving a sentence in a British jail on money laundering charges reportedly insists that he is innocent of the allegations linking him to the oil firm.
This insistence by Ibori is coming at a time when a Crown Court prosecutor witness alleged that Ibori has a 30 per cent share in Oando. No further evidence has been presented and the prosecution is yet to prove this part of its case in court.
On Thursday, when the Crown prosecution witness took the stand in Court 14, Southwark Crown Court, no mention was made of the Oando assets or the controversy over the amount or size of shares throughout the nearly 2 hours cross examination by Ibori’s lead counsel.
Oando had released a statement claiming that Ibori has only 443 shares in its books, a fact which, according to them, can be verified from the company’s Registrars-First Registrars Nigeria Limited.
Meanwhile, Nuhu Ribadu, former EFCC Chairman, under whose tenure Ibori was arrested and charged to court, took the stand for over an hour. He gave the EFCC findings against Ibori, the former governor’s arrest, and the politics that threatened to disrupt its outcome.
He narrated how a bribe of $15 million offered him by Ibori to obtain an EFCC corruption clearance letter backfired. Ribadu maintained that the EFCC investigation of Ibori relied on three sources – Bankers, key Delta State government officials and people around Ibori.
“Ibori wanted to bribe me personally in order to get an EFFC clearance letter freeing him from corruption (investigations),” Ribadu said. “The $15 million bribe he offered was sent straight to the CBN as exhibit and the CBN issued us a receipt. But Ibori wanted a clearance and each time he saw me, he demands that I give him a clearance letter.
“When a new president (Late Yar’Adua) emerged and new political appointments were made, there was a lot of interference in our work. They wanted the Ibori case stopped. The new Attorney General, Michael Andooaka, one day after being sworn-in, wanted to take over the prosecutorial powers of the EFCC. Luckily, a supreme court ruling gave EFCC prosecutorial powers. But not long afterwards, I was removed. Five days after charging Ibori to court in an Abuja High Court, I was asked to vacate my position as EFCC chairman. I was sent to NIPSS. James had told me I would be removed as EFCC chairman. He told me I would be charged to court and also that I will be dismissed form the Police force…”
Ribadu told the court that all the three threats Ibori made were fulfilled. He was removed as EFCC chair, charged to court for non-declaration of assets and dismissed from the force in what was a clear act of political victimization.
Also, it was revealed that it was at Andy Uba’s house (former SA to Obasanjo) in Abuja, in April 2007, that Ribadu and Ibori met and the $15 million cash was handed over to the EFCC team. The team took the money straight to the CBN office in the same city and handed it over without Ibori’s knowledge. Current EFCC boss, Murtala Lamorde and another senior EFCC officer in the Operations Unit, James Garba, were present along with Ribadu when the bribe money was handed over.
Meanwhile, reports say DLA Piper, UK LLP, acting on behalf of Oando, has written the Director of Public Prosecution of the Crown Court (defendant), London, demanding for two immediate remedies – That the case against Oando, if any, be be clarified and in the event that there is any wide involvement as asserted, it should provide such evidence. Secondly, refrain from making public assertions in the process of communication proceedings against Ibori which may indicate Oando is implicated in such proceedings
No comments:
Post a Comment