Governor's $35m assets frozen
2007-08-06 22:30
Abuja - Britain has frozen assets belonging to a former governor of oil-producing Delta state in southern Nigeria who was a major financier of the Nigerian president's electoral campaign, diplomatic sources said on Monday.
The move against James Ibori is big news in Nigeria because
Delta is one of three core oil states that are much richer than
others, but where endemic corruption means there is little to
show for the money.
Like neighbouring Bayelsa and Rivers, Delta is plagued by poverty and violence.
Ibori also has close ties to the presidency in a country where having friends in high places has traditionally been a
reliable shield from the law.
Governors lose their immunity
The freezing of his assets is one of the strongest signals to date that such impunity is eroding.
He had accompanied President Umaru Yar'Adua on almost every
stage of his electoral campaign and bankrolled much of it.
State governors lose their immunity from prosecution when
their terms end. Ibori's tenure finished on May 29.
The Southwark Crown Court in London last Thursday granted a
police application to freeze assets worth £17m ($35m). Nigerian media reported over the weekend they included properties, cash and a private jet.
The newspapers speculated that, as in two previous cases,
the British move against Ibori would be a prelude to his arrest
and prosecution in Nigeria. If that happens, how the new president reacts will be a test of his stance on corruption.
Yar'Adua said he would offer no protection to anyone.
"His administration will never provide a safe haven or
escape route for anyone, no matter how highly placed they may be
and irrespective of whatever role they played or claim to have
played in his election," said a presidential correspondence.