Embattled Theresa Nkoyo Ibori, wife of the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, will be spending her fourth day in prison today following the failure of her lawyers to secure a surety to fulfill one of the conditions for her bail.
Mrs. Ibori was arraigned on Monday in a Westminster magistrate court, London, on a four-count charge of money laundering under the British Acts and was granted bail on Tuesday by the same court, but under what was termed stringent condition by her husband.
According to an agency report monitored on Friday, Mrs. Ibori remained in prison at the all-female Holloway Prison in the Borough of Islington as she waited to fulfill the conditions specified in her bail.
An online news agency, Saharareporters, reported yesterday that the former governor�s friends in London were scared that the Metropolitan Police might investigate their finances should they step forward to bail his embattled wife out of prison.
�A source with the Crown Prosecution Service told Saharareporters that Mrs. Ibori�s stiff bail conditions owed to her status as a �flight risk� as well as her prior conviction in 1992 by a UK magistrate court for stealing and dishonesty,� it reported.
A Westminster Magistrate court judge had on Tuesday, granted Mrs. Ibori bail at 250,000 pounds. Her Nigerian Passport was also to be deposited with the court. These conditions were yet to be met by 3 pm on Friday.
Although, she was yet to satisfy the bail condition as at press time yesterday, this will make her to be spending the fourth night inside prison while her lawyers search for a surety for her.
A statement released last Tuesday by Mr. Tony Eluemunor, Chief James Ibori�s Media aide, not only confirmed the efforts to satisfy the bail conditions, but protested the stiff conditions attached to it.
It gave an indication that Ibori might appeal against the decision of the court to seize Nkoyo�s Nigerian passport.