Bizarre: N4.3b spent to prosecute Ibori – Senate
It was shocking and earth-shaking in the Nigerian Senate, yesterday, when it was revealed that the Jonathan government spent a whooping 14 million Pounds (N4.3 billion) to secure the conviction of Chief James Ibori, former governor of Delta State. According to Vanguard the disclosure was made by Sen. Victor Lar, Chairman, Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption, during the 2015 budget defence of N542,199,776 for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Analysts say spending that much to secure the conviction of a single person is astonishing and baffling, especially as the person was tried and convicted in the UK and not in Nigeria. Political meanings are being read to what is seen as secret spending. Sen. Lar added that the N4.3 billion ‘is more than ten years recurrent and capital budgets of all the anti-corruption agencies put together’. It should be recalled that Chief Ibori was convicted on April 17, 2012, and sentenced ...