I’ve no investigation file on Ibori’s $15m bribe

I leave you to your conscience –Ex-Delta gov

As the confiscation hearing of assets of former Delta State governor, James Ibori entered its fifth day in London, the former EFCC chairman giving evidence on how Ibori offered him $15m bribe, disclosed under oath that neither he nor the EFCC had an investigation file, notes of calls, meetings, briefings or records detailing the offer of the alleged bribe between him and James Ibori (on and around the dates the alleged bribe was given).

While being cross- examined by Ibori’s lead counsel, Ivan Krolic, Ribadu said that the only notes he had on James Ibori’s offer of $15m bribe was his personal notes, which got lost during the period he was being persecuted by the government after being removed as the chairman of EFCC.Under cross-examination on the matter of notes and records, apparently, Ribadu was telling the court that as the chairman of the EFCC, there was no where in EFCC’s office where a file was opened officially to document evidence of the $15m bribe against James Ibori prior to the offer of the bribe.

Ribadu as a senior policeman also failed to report the loss of his brief case and vital documents to the police. Ribadu in the course of being cross- examined by Ibori’s lead counsel had said he lost his brief case containing some documents including his personal notes on Ibori while in school in 2008.

In re-examination on the same day by Sasha Wass, the crown prosecutor, Ribadu claimed he lost his brief case in July 2007. Mr. Krolic, Ibori’s counsel, had to remind him that he had said while being cross- examined in the morning that he lost his brief case in 2007. Responding, Ribadu said ‘everything happened in 2008’.
The court room looked very charged as Nuhu Ribadu kept changing his stories and became inconsistent under cross- examination.
Ribadu had also said during cross-examination that the $15m bribe was brought into the room at Andy Uba’s place by Ibori’s driver and assistant. However, in a prosecution witness statement by Ibrahim Lamorde, one of Ribadu’s officers involved in the case then, Lamorde had said that the money was brought and put in the car by Andy Uba and his domestic staff. Ribadu’s accounts of how the money was handed over to him at Mr. Uba’s place evidently contradicted the witness accounts of Messrs Ibrahim Lamorde, now EFCC chairman, and James Garba. These statements are another of Ribadu’s inconsistency and conflicting statements under cross-examination in the ongoing confiscation trial of James Ibori’s assets in London.

Source : Sun News