A Nigerian court on Friday again deferred a ruling to December 17 in the trial of a former governor of oil-rich Delta State accused of stealing millions of dollars during his tenure.
The latest delay by the Asaba high court in southern Nigeria in deciding whether or not to strike out the case against flamboyant ex-governor James Ibori was the third in one month.
“Although the matter was adjourned for ruling today, however while still preferring to err on the part of caution, I shall further adjourn to the 17th of December,” judge Marcel Awokulehin of Federal High Court Asaba said.
Ibori, who ruled Delta State from 1999 to 2007, is standing trial on a 170-count charge laid against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Ibori, who was in court on Friday, has also been under investigation by British police following the discovery of assets in the country suspected to have been acquired with stolen money.
His trial in London, with his alleged accomplice Udoamaka Okonkwo, was suspended because of the Nigerian case.
London’s Southwark Crown Court adjourned sitting to allow the Asaba court to conclude its hearing, on the grounds that the outcome of the case in Nigeria has a bearing on the London trial.
In his eight years as governor, Ibori’s annual salary was less than 25,000 dollars (17,000 euros), yet he was able to transfer millions of dollars to British bank accounts, media reports said.
A British court had frozen 35 million dollars worth of his assets, according to the British media.