Former Delta State Governor,
James Onanefe Ibori, has instructed his lawyers to drag the United Kingdom to
the Court of Appeal at the European Court of Human Rights.
This was contained in a statement
on Wednesday signed by his media aide.
Ibori gave some reasons for his
decision, claiming that the UK judiciary had been unfair to him.
The statement reads: “At 11 am
today, judgment of the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division, was handed down.
Once again the British Courts have unjustifiably denied me justice. The
injustice contrived against me continued at the Court of Appeal. By this denial,
I have been prevented from challenging my conviction even though the Crown
Prosecution accepts the fact that there was a proven case of Police corruption.
“The Court of Appeal declined my
application for leave to appeal my conviction based on Crown Prosecution (CPS)
and Police disclosure failures compounded by police corruption unearthed way
before I even arrived in the UK. The allegation of Police corruption, at least
of Mr. John Macdonald, the Investigating Police Officer in my case, started on
or about 10th of September 2007 while I was still in Nigeria. This issue of
police corruption was raised by a different agency of the UK government working
on an entirely different case at the time.
“This material fact should have
been disclosed to my legal team on my arrival in the UK but it was not
disclosed because the Crown Prosecution Service and the London Metropolitan
Police knew the devastating and fatal impact that would have had on the case
against me. The UK authorities chose deliberately to cover it up even though my
legal team asked that all-important question in open court.
“This continued cover-up, which
is inimical to justice delivery, has been displayed again today by the Court of
Appeal when it denied me the opportunity to appeal my conviction at the Appeal
Court and possibly the Supreme Court of England and Wales. This is
international conspiracy carried too far to the detriment of the integrity of
the British Judicial System.
”Numerous people have asked me to
discontinue the appeal adding: ‘But what do they care. It’s a matter that has
to do with a bunch of “corrupt” Nigerians. They can throw judicial decency to
the dogs’.
“I say to the members of the
public who have shown personal concern for my predicament that I will strive
with every breath of energy in me to pursue the cause of justice not only for
my sake but because it is the right thing to do to make the world a better
place and to defend the rights of the down-trodden.
“So, I have put my legal team on
notice to explore every legal avenue to expose this massive cover-up –
including applying to the European Court of Human Rights to ensure that this
assault on my fundamental rights does not stand.
“As I said in an earlier
statement, “The British judiciary is supposed to rest on a strong foundation of
openness, transparency and the rule of law. My legal team have done their best
to draw attention to the issue of disclosure and the protocol associated with
materials obtained through interception. It is a short and simple case that
does not require the length of time it has taken to adjudicate. It’s either my
application for permission to appeal is granted, based on the fatal nature of
the disclosure-failure, or a brutal assault on the integrity of British Justice
would be committed.
“The Crown Prosecution Service,
the Metropolitan Police and the Department for Professional Standards
deliberately spat on the law when they wilfully disregarded the stipulations of
the law governing the use of disclosures. This flaw is unpardonable in the British
legal system even in serious cases like terrorism much less fraud and money
laundering of which prison terms have been served and expired”. Well, today, a
brutal assault was committed against the delivery of justice in the UK.
“Unfortunately, I am the victim
of this assault on the delivery of justice and this ruling further exposes the
failing of the British legal system. Evidence exists which confirms the police
corruption in my case, the Court is of aware of it, the prosecution is aware of
it, and even though it was withheld from my legal team, they have now become
aware of it.
“The Court of Appeal did not
permit my legal team to even refer to this evidence let alone advance it as
part of our case. Even now, I am not permitted to disclose the nature of this
evidence for fear of committing an offence. In these circumstances, my legal
team argued that there were only two options available. One; the prosecution
should concede the appeal, or the Court should halt proceedings as an abuse of
process because a fair hearing was no longer possible.
“Disappointingly, both the
prosecution and the court took the view that saving face was more important
than dispensing justice. Yet, I am fully resolved to challenge the ruling of
the Court of Appeal at the European Court of Human Rights. Let the days be gone
when British legal luminaries come to give seminars in Africa boasting about
having the best legal system in the world.
“I thank my legal team for a
great job. They have fought gallantly to save the British justice delivery from
those undermining it. I have no doubt in my mind that justice will come my way
– eventually and no matter how long it takes”.
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