ABUJA, Nigeria (CU)_The Nigerian government announced on Tuesday (18 May) that state funds worth millions of dollars which were stolen and laundered to the United Kingdom by a former state governor has been returned to the West African nation. Back in 2012, former governor of the state of Delta, James Ibori, was convicted of laundering state funds to the United Kingdom. According to the prosecutors, Ibori had stolen around $165 million, which he used to buy luxury residences, cars and a private jet, during his term between 1999 and 2007.
After a lengthy extradition procedure which led to his conviction, the former governor was imprisoned in April 2012, but was released on bail in December 2016. His case was seen as a crucial achievement in the battle against high-level corruption prevailing in Nigeria, with billions of dollars being sent to the UK every year.
Being a leading figure in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ibori is said to have used some of the state funds to finance the candidacy of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in the 2007 election.
“The federal government has received £ 4,214,017 ($5.8 million) of the embezzled funds,” Nigeria’s Department of Justice said in a statement. These recovered funds are expected to be invested in several infrastructure projects in Nigeria, including the Lagos-to-Ibadan Expressway, the second Niger Bridge and the Abuja-to-Kano road.
Meanwhile, Switzerland and a few other countries have also returned millions of dollars which were stolen by Nigeria’s military ruler Sani Abacha. He served as the military head of state in the West African nation from 1993 until his death in 1998. He is said to have stolen about $5 billion state funds.
