TheCable

Tony Eluemunor, media aide of James Ibori, says the ex-governor is not under house arrest in the United Kingdom (UK), and does not have to report to the police.

Ibori was released on Wednesday after serving a jail sentence in London.

However, a few hours after his release some reports said the former governor of Delta state was put under house arrest.

But in a statement on Thursday, Eluemunor said Ibori was not put under any form of police surveillance.

“Chief James Onanefe Ibori, released from jail on Wednesday, was not placed under any police restrictions and does not have to report to the police at all,” he said.

“Even a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report of Wednesday, entitled ‘Nigerian ex-Governor James Ibori Released From UK Jail’ stated that much: ‘On Wednesday, the home office’s barrister said the government was concerned that Ibori might ‘frustrate confiscation proceedings’ and wanted him kept in jail or subject to strict controls on his movement.

“A home office application that Ibori be electronically tagged and subject to strict curfew conditions was also rejected after the judge accepted arguments that the home secretary was attempting to misuse her immigration and deportation powers’.

Eluemunor said “the need to make a clarification arose from the conflicting reports in several media organisations over the terms guiding his release”.

“A mischievous on-line publication misled many Nigerians into believing that Ibori would wear an ankle tag that would beam his whereabouts to the police and also report weekly to the police. But from the quoted BBC report, no such order ever came from the court but from some corrupt and corrupting minds,” he said.

“In fact, the BBC, quoting the Judge, Her Honour, Mrs Justice Juliet May, Queen’s Counsel, said: ‘The position of the secretary of state, as very candidly set out by MrBirdling (representing the home secretary), is that she accepts that there is an argument that she has no power to detain him’.

“I have decided that the balance of convenience falls heavily in favour of his (Ibori’s) immediate release. I am not prepared to impose conditions involving tagging or curfews.”

According to Eluemunor, Ibori has given thanks and glory to God for making his release from jail possible, “despite the last-minute obstacle the British secretary of state placed on his way”.

“He is grateful to his team of lawyers who fought gallantly for his release. He sent his heart-felt gratitude to the dozens of mainstream news organisations, especially in Britain and Nigeria, that trained attention on the relentless persecution, instead of prosecution, he was receiving and which also led to the investigation of those who had earlier investigated and prosecuted him; the result was a far-reaching corruption indictments within such agencies,” he said.

Eluemunor said a different verdict would have sent Ibori into indefinite detention, because the confiscation hearing the British home secretary wanted him detained for was a second one.

“The first one ended September 2013, with no proof of theft of any money from Delta state. Just when judgment was to be given, the prosecution asked for a retrial just because they had no evidence of any theft. Surprisingly, the court granted them their wish,” he said.

“Now that Ibori’s associates in the case, especially Mr Bhadresh Gohil, has appealed his conviction, and Ibori’s lawyers are considering going on appeal too, the appeals will have to end before the confiscation hearing may ever begin. Also, nobody knows how long they may last; so Ibori would have remained indefinitely in detention. His freedom from this indefinite detention is the essence of Wednesday’s victory. And if the appeals are sustained, there will be no confiscation hearing at all.”