Inside Africa – Nigerian fraudster and former state governor wins £1 in British court
Convicted fraudster and former Nigerian state governor James Ibori has been awarded £1 for being unlawfully detained in the UK.
Ibori was due to be released from prison on 20 December but instead was held in immigration detention for almost two days.
The court said the decision to detain him was probably made in the context of trying to recoup at least £57m.
He was convicted in 2012 of fraud and money laundering while he was governor.
On 21 December High Court judge Mrs Justice May ordered his immediate release, saying “You don’t hold someone just because it is convenient to do so and without plans to deport them.”
Ibori went on to take UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd to court, requesting $5,200 (£4,000) in compensation.
On Monday Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said that while he was unlawfully detained that “there was no compensatory loss to Mr Ibori and I fix nominal damages at £1.”
Source – BBC
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