JAMES IBORI V NUHU RIBADU WAR OF WORDS: FULL REPORTS

 I HAVE NO INVESTIGATION FILE FOR JAMES IBORI’S $15M BRIBE- RIBADU

I LEAVE YOU TO YOUR CONSCIENCE- IBORI

As the confiscation hearing of assets of former Delta State Governor James Ibori entered its fifth day in London, with the former EFCC Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu giving evidence of how Ibori offered him $15m bribe. Ribadu 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 crossed 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, the following took place: 
Ibori’s counsel: Do you always take notes in the course of your work or investigation?
Ribadu: As a trained officer, you are supposed to take notes
Ibori’s Counsel: Did you take notes on Ibori in the course of your several conversations with him over the offer of $15m bribe?
Ribadu: I did, but lost them during my crisis in Nigeria (On Recap with Sasha Wash asking the Qs: “it was maliciously stolen” and Sasha tried to draw a connection with his assassination attempts and issues with the IGP Mike Okiro
Ribadu: “The IGP Mike Okiro is a despicable human being, the most corrupt police officer I have ever seen”. “He made my life hell”. He withdrew my official car and police security”.
When asked if there is any connection with James Ibori and Mike Okiro“I was there when James Ibori nominated Mike Okiro to be IGP.
Ibori’s counsel: Did you not keep them in EFCC Office?
Ribadu: No, I am the chairman, it’s not my job to keep files.
Lead counsel: Ok, when you lost your personal notes that contained your conversation with Mr Ibori, who did you report to?
Ribadu: I lost a complete brief case containing documents.
Lead counsel: Where?
Ribadu: In Jos while I was in School
Ibori’s counsel: So who did you report to?
Ribadu: I reported to my school.
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 crossed 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. Determined to prove that Ribadu was lying under oath, Krolic pressed him further…
Ibori’s counsel: Is it right to say that you should have ensured that your conversation with Ibori over his offer of $15m bribe to you should have been kept in an EFCC file?
Ribadu: Of course but in the file of the individual investigating officers
Ibori’s counsel: Are these individual files not central in EFCC?
Ribadu: Individual files of the officers involved.
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 Ibraheem Lamorde, one of Ribadu’s officers invloved in the case then, Lamorde had said that the money was brought and put in the car by Andy Uba and his domestic staff.
Krolic trying to make Ribadu clarify the conflicting statements between him and his officer asked him ’you said yesterday that it was Ibori’s staff that handed the bag containing the money to you’.
Ribadu answered ‘Yes’
Ibori’s counsel pressed further, ‘Mr Lamorde in his witness statement said it was Uba and his domestic staff who put the money in the car’. Ribadu replied ’I did not sign this statement, you need to ask Lamorde’.
Krolic informed the judge at that point that when the prosecution informed the defence counsel that they were inviting Mr Ribadu, the defence counsel, also requested that Mr Ibraheem Lamorde and  James Garba be invited but were later told by the prosecution that the two could not obtain their visa to the UK.
Ribadu’s accounts of how the money was handed over to him at Mr Uba’s place evidently contradicted the witness accounts of Messers Ibraheem Lamorde, now EFCC chairman, and James Garba. These statements are another of Ribadu’s inconsistency and conflicting statements under cross examination in the on going Confiscation trial of James Ibori’s assets in London.
Meanwhile, James Ibori’s lawyer, Jonathan Epelle, while reacting to Ribadu’s contradictory statements under oath in the courts said ‘Mr Ribadu could produce no investigation file and no evidence to support his claim in a case as serious as a $15m bribe allegation. He ended up disagreeing with his ex-colleagues, Ibraheem Lamorde and James Garba on even the most basic issue’.
Mr Ibori who spoke from the prison to his lawyers after the hearing stated ‘Ribadu could not even recall the date of the alleged bribe, how many bags it was contained, whether or not he saw the money or even who was present. Ribadu is a serial liar, who lied consistently and not able to sustain his lies’ Mr Ibori said that he was leaving Ribadu to his conscience and God since he swore on the Koran.
The defence, when asked by the court to state its position on the $15 million bribe money, expressed surprise, as they believed their position had been made known during the course of questioning.
Q.C Krolic then said “Mr. Ibori did NOT offer or give any bribe money of $15million neither was he there at Mr. Andy Uba’s residence during the alleged handing over of bribe money”.
He then put it to the court that whilst he does not dispute the fact that $15 million exchanged hands between Ibrahim Larmode, James Garba and Mr. Andy Uba, and further deposited to the Central bank of Nigeria, that the money was from the then Federal government of Nigeria in an attempt to frame Mr. Ibori.  The three weeks confiscation hearing which entered its fifth day on Friday continues next week.