And this is how he deceived the people of Delta...

The former
governor of Nigeria's oil-
rich Delta state, James
Ibori, accused of stealing
$250 million from state
coffers, pleaded guilty to
money laundering and
fraud in a British court
Monday.
Ibori, formerly one of the
ruling People's Democratic
Party's most influential
figures, was arrested in
Dubai, United Arab
Emirates, in 2010 and
extradited to London,
where he had six luxury
houses. At the time of his
arrest, Ibori was
negotiating to buy himself
a private jet.
Ibori's case tells the story
of a country rich in oil but
characterized by
Transparency
International as one of the
most corrupt, where
billions of dollars in state
funds has been stolen
by government officials
over many years and
salted away in overseas
bank accounts or spent
on lavish lifestyles.
British authorities, who
had investigated the case
for seven years,
announced Monday that
Ibori's assets would be
seized and returned to the
people of Delta state. Ibori
admitted to 10 counts of
money laundering and
fraud involving nearly $80
million, while pleading not
guilty to an additional 13
counts.
Before he worked his way
up through the Nigerian
ruling party to become
one of the country's
influential politicians, Ibori
was a petty thief in Britain.
He had worked in a DIY
store in Ruislip in the
1990s. He was convicted
in 1991 of stealing from
the shop and a year later
was convicted of using a
stolen credit card to steal
around $1,600.
According to the
prosecutor, Sasha Wass,
Ibori "tricked" his way into
office by changing his
birth date and pretending
he had no criminal
record. His record would
have barred him from
standing for office, had it
been known.
"He was never the
legitimate governor and
there was effectively a
thief in government
house. As the pretender
of that public office, he
was able to plunder Delta
state's wealth and hand
out patronage," the
prosecutor said.
Ibori enjoyed immunity
from prosecution while in
office. His salary as
governor was $25,000 a
year.
"He got control of
contracts and corruptly
awarded them to his
associates," said Wass.
"He plundered the public
purse and there is no
explanation for his wealth
other than he got it
corruptly."
Ibori's wife, sister,
mistress and London
lawyer had all been
previously convicted of
money laundering. One of
the cases involved stealing
the proceeds of the sale of
a cellphone company.