The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has awarded the $15 million former Delta Governor James Ibori allegedly offered as bribe to former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
The Delta State Government had claimed ownership of the funds however the Federal Government asked the Uduaghan administration to prove ownership of the money, however they were unable to do so.
The EFCC had in July 2012 approached the court through an ex- parte application, requesting for an
order forfeiting the Ibori bribe which had been lying in the vaults of the Central Bank of Nigeria for more than five years to the Federal Government as unclaimed proceed of crime.
The EFCC had urged the court to dismiss the claim by the Delta State government to the alleged bribe and order the final forfeiture of the sum to the Federal Government in line with the provisions of Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.