James Ibori

By TONY OSAUZO, Benin

Imprisoned former governor of  Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, has resolved to challenge the Court of Appeal ruling which held that he has a case to answer in the 170-count money laundering charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFFC).

The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin had on Thursday upturned the decision of Justice Marcel Awokulehin, then of the Asaba Federal High Court, who struck out the charges and held that Ibori has no case to answer.

In a press statement yesterday, Ibori’s Media Assistant, Tony Eluemunor said the embattled ex-governor has already asked his lawyers to head to the Supreme Court to appeal the ruling  of the Court of Appeal.

According to the statement, despite his travails, Ibori has remained a strong believer in the rule of law, especially the courts.

“The decision of the Federal High Court in Asaba, which the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin has just struck down, was perhaps the most politicized in Nigerian history, with crass politicians not hiding their interests and sundry commentators opinionating on otherwise purely matters of law – yet refusing to refer to the judgement while pouring out their sectarian creeds.

“Yet, Ibori, a believer in the rule of law and freedom of the courts, will not stoop as low as those who flagellate judges whose decisions they do not like, openly or through innuendos, impute any misdeeds on the part of the panel of Justices who decided the case”, the statement said.

It added that “in pursuit of this undying belief, he has instructed his lawyers to, without delay, take the next legal step by referring the matter to the apex court in the land,” just as the former governor “has also called on his supporters everywhere to remain calm as they have always done since his political persecution began.”


Source: Sun