By Ayodele Oni
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has affirmed that he has been vindicated with the recent judgement by a United Kingdom (UK) court, which convicted former Delta state governor, James Ibori.
Reacting to the judgement, Obasanjo recounted his administration’s handling of the corruption investigation involving Ibori, saying the former governor attempted to outsmart investigators with a $15 million cash payment.
Obasanjo made the remarks during a recent interview while responding to allegations that his administration was vindictive in its dealings with Ibori.
According to the former president, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigated Ibori and presented him with a report alleging that about $200 million had been misappropriated
Obasanjo said he subsequently confronted Ibori and asked him to account for the funds. I said: “Ibori, come, look at the report. Okay, I assume you have wasted $50 million. Go and give EFCC $150 million,” Obasanjo recounted.
He said that when Ibori asked where the money should be deposited, he instructed that it be returned to Delta State rather than treated as personal funds.
Obasanjo further recalled that arrangements were made for Central Bank of Nigeria accounts through which recovered funds could be deposited.
According to his account, Ibori subsequently attempted to make a-$15 million cash payment to EFCC chairman Nuhu Ribadu, which Obasanjo said was treated as evidence rather than accepted as a settlement.
The $15 million allegation had also been documented in earlier accounts of the Ibori investigation.
Human Rights Watch reported that Ribadu described receiving an attempted $15 million bribe from Ibori in 2007 and said the money was subsequently deposited with the Central Bank as evidence.
Obasanjo said the investigation eventually extended beyond Nigeria after Ibori left the country.
“He went to London, where he went to prison,” the former president said, arguing that the pursuit of the case demonstrated that his actions were aimed at accountability rather than political vendetta.
Ibori was arrested in Dubai in 2010 on an international warrant and later extradited to the United Kingdom.
In February 2012, he pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to charges including money laundering and conspiracy to defraud.
He was subsequently sentenced to 13 years in prison in April 2012. UK authorities said the Metropolitan Police had estimated that about $250 million of Nigerian public funds had been embezzled.
While Obasanjo’s account puts the amount identified in the EFCC investigation at approximately $200 million, figures cited in the later UK proceedings were higher.
The UK government and Metropolitan Police referred to an estimated $250 million in Nigerian public funds.
Reflecting on the criticism that his actions against Ibori amounted to vindictiveness, Obasanjo concluded: “If that is vindictiveness, I would say, let Nigeria have more of such vindictiveness.”
His account has renewed attention on one of Nigeria’s most prominent corruption cases, which eventually resulted in the former Delta governor admitting wrongdoing before a London court and receiving a lengthy prison sentence.
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