A Thursday court hearing on the confiscated assets of convicted former Delta State Governor, James Ibori has revealed that a British agency will receive more than half of the assets, THISDAY reports.
This was revealed by Steve Kamlish, counsel to Ibori’s lawyer, Gohil Bradesh, who was convicted alongside the politician.
Kamlish said at the Southwark Crown Court in London that the Department for International Development (DFID) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian government to receive £25 million from the assets valued at £50 million, to the shock of the Ibori family and other Nigerians present in the court.
The report also quoted the lawyer as saying that the British agency also pays the salary of investigating officers in the Ibori case, a situation that was deemed unusual.
Gohil, who was jailed for corrupt practices, before his conviction had accused the British government of trying to reap where it did not sow, wondering why that government would want to keep such huge amount of money when it could be sent back to the people of Nigeria who need it more.