The former governor of Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta State has been cleared of 170 charges of cor-ruption involving the laundering of millions of dollars, BBC online reports Thursday.
The federal court in Asaba said there was no clear evidence against James Ibori, governor from 1999 to 2007. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which brought the prosecution, described the judgement as hazy and pledged to appeal against it.
Nigeria is frequently cited as one of the world’s most corrupt countries. Mr Ibori is one of the most wealthy and well-connected politicians in Nigeria. He is a close personal friend of President Umaru Yar’Adua, and is notorious among Nigerians for becoming extremely wealthy during his time in power.
Meanwhile, British authorities have also acted against Mr Ibori. In 2007 a UK court froze assets allegedly belonging to him worth 35 million US dollar. His annual salary was less than 25.000 dollar.
