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Nigerian ex-politician freed
29/07/2007 18:38 - (SA)
Lagos - Prison officials say a former Nigerian state governor has been freed a day after he was convicted of corruption because he had already served his time while awaiting trial.
Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha, the former governor of oil-rich Bayelsa state, pleaded guilty last week to six counts of corruption and money laundering.
The judge sentenced him to two years jail on each count, but ruled the jail terms be served concurrently from the time of his arrest in Nigeria two years ago.
Prisons department spokesperson Ope Fatinikun said: "Alamieyeseigha was freed hours after police took him to prison because he had already served the required time.
"He was brought to us but released before the end of the day," Fatinikun said.
The former governor was the first politician to be convicted in a push by the newly-elected government to rout out rampant corruption in West Africa's oil giant by prosecuting officials for stealing public funds.
Escaped from England
Though Alamieyeseigha's prison stay was brief, the conviction will cost him millions in repayments. He was ordered to forfeit to the government a number of housing estates, stocks worth $7.9m and cash in different currencies estimated to be worth several million dollars.
Alamieyeseigha was first arrested and charged with money laundering in London in September 2005.
He escaped from England while out on bail, allegedly disguised as a woman, and returned to Nigeria where he was immune from prosecution as a state governor.
Within weeks, he was removed from office by his state's lawmakers and subsequently arrested and charged by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Armed militants who have attacked oil installations in Nigeria's southern oil region and kidnapped foreign oil workers had listed freedom for Alamieyeseigha among their demands, saying he was singled out by former President Olusegun Obasanjo over political differences.
Since President Umaru Yar'Adua succeeded Obasanjo at the end of May, Nigeria's financial crimes agency has stepped up efforts to try several former state governors for stealing public funds while in office.
At least six former governors are currently under arrest and four of them have been charged to court.
Nigeria is regularly rated one of the most corrupt countries in the world by Berlin-based anti-graft watchdog, Transparency International.
- AP
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