Ibori: Court to hear Delta government’s application July 10
A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed July 10 for the hearing of a application by Delta State Government, seeking to claim the $15million bribe allegedly offered former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, by jailed ex-Delta State Governor, James Ibori.
The bribe was allegedly meant by Ibori to stop the commission from further investigating him for the “alleged massive looting” of the state treasury while in office.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole fixed the date on Monday following a recent ruling by the Court of Appeal, Abuja, striking out an application by a Lagos-based refrigerator repairer, Olalekan Bayode seeking to halt further hearing in a suit pending the hearing of his appeal.
When the case was called, parties were set to argue the application by Delta State, but the court said it was inconvenient in view of its tight schedule and directed them to choose a fresh date
The Federal Government had applied to the court for an order of forfeiture and to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), where Ribadu had lodged the bribe money he rejected, to release it to the government should no one showed up to claim the money.
Delta State government later came forward to claim the ownership of the money.
It claimed that Ibori, being the state governor when the bribe money was offered, must have taken the money from the state’s coffers.
Before Delta State’s application could be heard, Bayode applied that he should be appointed as a manager to disburse the money to the needy people in the society, especially widows and orphans through a charitable organization.
He applied to be joined in the case and prayed that the money to be released to him.
In a ruling, Justice Kolawole dismissed Bayode’s application for being frivolous and lacking in merit.
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