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Nigerian politician pleads guilty to money laundering

THE former governor of a Nigerian oil state pleaded guilty in a British court on Monday to laundering millions of dollars in a rare case of a Nigerian politician being held to account for the corruption that blights Africa's most populous nation.

London hailed the case of James Ibori, a prominent power broker in Nigeria's ruling party, as a major victory in the British justice system's efforts to stop corrupt foreign politicians laundering stolen funds via UK channels.

Ibori is a household name in Nigeria after two terms as governor of impoverished oil-producing Delta State from 1999 to 2007.

He is used to being addressed as "Your Excellency" and courted by crowds of people seeking his patronage.

It was a different scene on Monday at Southwark Crown Court in London, where Ibori sat in the dock behind a glass partition as prosecutor Sasha Wass described his tenure in government as a time of "wide-scale theft, fraud and corruption".

"There was effectively a thief in the government office of Delta State," Wass told the court.

Ibori pleaded guilty to 10 counts of money laundering, fraud and related offences. He pleaded not guilty to a further 13 similar charges. Sentencing will take place in April and Ibori remains in custody.

Among other crimes, Ibori admitted that he had conspired with others to pocket $37-million (R278-million) that should have gone into Delta State coffers from the sale of shares it owned in the telecoms company V Mobile.

Britain's Department for International Development said all funds recovered through the confiscation of Ibori's assets would be given back to the people of Delta.

"Ibori lived a life of luxury after he embezzled what the [police] estimate to be $250-million (R1.8-billion) of Nigerian public funds - equal to $38 (R285) from every person living in the state at the time of his crimes," the department said after the hearing.

At the time of his arrest, he had been trying to buy himself a private jet worth $20-million (R150-million).

His case has enormous resonance in Nigeria, where a small ruling class enjoys a jet-setting lifestyle while most of the 140million Nigerians live in poverty with little or no access to power, health or education.

Ibori stepped down as governor of Delta after two terms because the law did not allow him to seek a third one.

He then established himself as a behind-the-scenes kingmaker in the ruling People's Democratic Party.

In court on Monday, Ibori waved and smiled at supporters who crowded into the room, but spoke only to identify himself and enter his pleas.

Ibori had been expected to face a 12-week trial involving dozens of witnesses, but after he entered his guilty pleas the prosecution said that he had in effect accepted the substance of the case against him and a full trial was no longer necessary.

Ibori's wife, sister and mistress have already been convicted of helping him launder money in separate trials in London, but the media had not previously been allowed to report on those convictions to avoid prejudicing Ibori's case.

Ibori's guilty pleas are the culmination of a seven-year inquiry into his affairs by British police. - Reuters

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