A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered the forfeiture of the unclaimed bribe sum of $15 million allegedly offered to the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, by a former governor of Delta State, Mr James Ibori, to the Federal Government.

The presiding judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, also ordered for the publication of the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper, to enable anyone who wanted to lay claim to the money to come before it within 14 days and show cause why the final order of forfeiture should not be made in favour of the Federal Government.

The orders were as a result of an exparte application brought by the Federal Government, pursuant to sections 17(1), (2), (3) and (4) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud related activities Act No 14 of 2006.

Counsel for the Federal Government, Rotimi Jacobs, submitted that the cash, in the sum of $15 million, was received by the officers of the anti-graft agency from an undisclosed agent of the former Delta State governor in 2007, as bribe to compromise its investigation.

He added that the commission deposited the said cash in the strong room number one of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on April 26, 2007, adding that Ibori had since denied giving the bribe to the EFCC or any of its officers.

He also said the money had since remained unclaimed since April 2007 and had remained dormant with the CBN.

Also, it was gathered that the United States Department of Justice has secured a restraining order against more than $3 million in corruption proceeds located in the United States, which was related to Ibori.

The order, as secured, prevented Ibori and his associates from entering his mansion in Houston, Texas; or operating two Merrill Lynch brokerage accounts.

The application, which was filed under seal on May 16, 2012, in US District Court in the District of Columbia, sought to restrain assets belonging to Ibori and Bhadresh Gohil, his former English solicitor.

The US District Judge Lamberth granted the application and issued a restraining order under seal on May 21, 2012.

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