Former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Malam Nuhu Ribadu has expressed his readiness to testify against former Delta State governor James Ibori over $15 million bribe.
Ribadu had in an affidavit accused Ibori of giving him $15m in 2007 in a bid to dissuade the former EFCC boss from initiating any case against him.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has listed Ribadu as a star witness to testify against the former governor James Ibori.
Although the former anti-graft boss said he’s aware of being listed among the Federal Government’s list of witnesses against Ibori, he expressed his readiness to do so when contacted.
“I am not aware. But if I am asked to testify, I will. But like I told you, nobody has contacted me,” Ribadu stated.
Ribadu earlier revealed that, “Ibori approached me with $15m to stop his investigation. The money was brought in sacks. I called my people because the money was in big bags, which two people could not carry and we deposited it in the CBN as evidence against him.”
In July 2012, the EFCC approached a Federal High Court in Abuja, requesting for a final order forfeiting the $15m Ibori bribe which had been in the vaults of the CBN for more than five years to the Federal Government as unclaimed proceeds of crime. Justice Gabriel Kolawole on October 25, 2013, awarded the Federal government ownership of the $15m Ibori bribe which was the subject of legal tussle between the EFCC and the Delta State Government.
Ibori was released on Wednesday, December 21, 2016 from a UK prison, EFCC is expected to amend the charges brought against him in order to avoid a case of double jeopardy.
