US Court Grants Order to Confiscate Ibori’s $3 Million Fund and Property

A U.S District Court in the District of Columbia has granted the request of a restraining order by the United States Department of Justice against the over $3 million worth of funds and properties owned by convicted money launderer and former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori
This was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton in a statement on the U.SDOJ website on Tuesday.

“Specifically, it seeks to restrain a mansion in Houston and two Merrill Lynch brokerage accounts. U.S. District Judge Lamberth granted the application and issued a restraining order under seal on May 21, 2012.
The department got the powers through an application it filed under seal on May 16, 2012, in the Columbia District Court, to register and enforce two orders from United Kingdom courts against more than $3 million in corruption proceeds related to Ibori.

“The United States is working with the United Kingdom’s Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police Service to forfeit these corruption proceeds,” it said.

Ibori was convicted in the UK of money laundering and conspiracy to defraud and was sentenced by a British court on April 18, 2012, to 13 years in prison.
He laundered those proceeds through a myriad of shell companies, intermediaries and nominees in several jurisdictions, including the UK, with the help of Gohil, Ibori’s former English solicitor.