Ibori secures victory against British govt in London

Former Delta State governor, James Ibori yesterday secured victory in a case against the British Secretary of State for the Home Department (SSHD), his Media Assistant, Tony Eluemunor has said.

Eluemunor in statement yesterday said the victory came when Mrs Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb DBE of Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London, agreed with the submissions of Ibori’s counsels, Mr Ian Macdonald (QC) and Mr Ivan Krolick that though Ibori was due for release, he was still maliciously detained on the 20th and 21st December 2016.

On 30th December, 2016 Ibori’s solicitors wrote to the Home Department seeking her acquiescence to his voluntary departure to Nigeria, a request that was not granted, Eluemunor said.

He added that they wrote again on 5th January, 2017 and the day after receipt of this letter, the Home Department made an application to the court requesting a further seven days in which to make a decision on Ibori’s request for voluntary departure. “On 13th January 2017 the defendant decided to allow Ibori to depart the United Kingdom voluntarily.”

Eluemunor said contrary to reports that Ibori was deported from UK, yesterday’s court judgment said, “The SSHD agreed that Mr Ibori could leave the jurisdiction and he did so on 3rd February 2017 under his own steam.”

He added that what remains now is the determination of the amount of money the Home Department has to pay Ibori as compensation for detaining him maliciously for almost two days between Ibori’s counsel and the Home Department.

He said the Justice Cheema-Grubb, on this, ordered, “If costs cannot be agreed between the parties I will make a determination on written representations (of no more than 3 sides in length) provided within 21 days of this judgment.”