London Police Raid Igbinedion’s House

The London Metropolitan Police yesterday searched the London house of former Edo State governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion.
Igbinedion's house is located at the High Gate area of London, one of the high brow areas of the city.

THISDAY learnt that the search may have been conducted by the Met Police in a bid to uncover any incriminating material that may help in prosecuting Igbinedion for anti-money laundering offences in the United Kingdom.
The search is reminiscent of similar raids by the Met Police on the London residences of the impeached governor of Bayelsa State, Chief DSP Alamie-yeseigha and former Plateau State governor, Chief Joshua Dariye.
During the raid on Igbinedion’s house, Met Police detectives saw two Mercedes Benz cars and a Bentley worth £200,000 parked in the drive way of the palatial building.
They did not remove the vehicles but the detectives left with some documents, sources said.

The house was said to have been bought for £6.2m in 2000 but is now worth £6m.
Authorities of the Met Police neither confirmed nor denied the search last night when THISDAY contacted them over the telephone.
It was learnt, however, that the search may have been in response to the international manhunt for Igbinedion by the Economic and Financial Cri-mes Commission (EFCC).
Igbinedion has been on the run since he left office on May 29, 2007.
Last week, EFCC formally declared him wanted for alleged money laundering and stealing of amounts totaling N2.9bn during his tenure.
The commission took the decision shortly after it obtained an order for his arrest from a Federal High Court, Abuja.
EFCC slammed a 147-count charge of money laundering and abuse of office against the ex-governor.
Three companies - Kiva Corporation Limited, Gava Corporation Limited, and Ekpen and Sons - were also charged along with him.
Igbinedion, who ruled the state between 1999 and 2007, was said to have used his relatives to siphon the said N2.9bn.
The sum, according to the commission, was looted and transferred through numerous companies, including Gava Corporation Ltd.
Another company belonging to his brother, Mike Igbinedion, was said to have also been used to transfer part of the money.
But in his reaction last Monday, Igbinedion alleged a deliberate plan by EFCC to taint him as a "fugitive running away from justice" by rushing to court to seek an order for his arrest.
He said he would appear before the commission next Monday.
In a two-page letter to the EFCC Chairman by his lawyers, Ahonaruogho, Ahonaruogho and Co, the ex-governor said the commission was aimed at ruining the good name built over the years by his family.

Condemning EFCC’s move, Igbinedion’s counsel said: “Our client is completely saddened that the commission has, without giving an opportunity to our client to appear to defend the charges against him, rushed to court for an order for his arrest in its attempt to put our client in the court of public opinion as a fugitive running away from justice.
“The antics of the commission in obtaining the said order of court and the subsequent declaration of our client as a wanted person, clearly runs against the gains of the administration of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and the rule of law which it preaches.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state categorically that our client, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, shortly after leaving office as the governor of Edo State of Nigeria on 29th May, 2007 travelled overseas for his vacation and to attend to his personal needs. Whilst overseas, a letter of invitation was extended to him by the commission through the Edo State Government.
“When the said letter of invitation by the commission was brought to his attention, he promptly replied and requested for a fresh date to attend to the invitation.
“He later returned to Nigeria where he visited the offices of the commission on 13th and 14th June, 2007 and made written statements relating to his activities as governor of Edo State to the commission and was subsequently allowed to depart.
“At the said visit, no petition or any allegation of any criminal offence was brought to his attention by the commission and that our client has been denied the opportunity to confront his accusers or rebut the allegations against him before the said charges levied against him were filed in court.
“Our client during his said visit to the commission’s offices in Abuja made it known that he was in fact travelling back overseas.
“There has been no subsequent invitation to our client by the commission to which our client failed to appear and that it is therefore most surprising that our client can be portrayed by the commission to Nigerians and indeed the international community, as a fugitive fleeing from justice.
“Our client hereby requests that the commission should in the light of the above stated facts, approach the same court to vacate the order for his arrest and withdraw forthwith the purported declaration to our client, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, as a wanted person.”