FORMER BAYELSA GOVERNOR PLEADS GUILTY TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 000540 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W STATE FOR INR/AA STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART DOE FOR CAROLYN GAY WARSAW FOR LISA PIASCIK CIUDAD JUAREZ FOR DONNA BLAIR ISTANBUL FOR TASHAWNA SMITH SAO PAOLO FOR ANDREW WITHERSPOON E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/11/2016 TAGS: PGOV KDEM NI SUBJECT: FORMER BAYELSA GOVERNOR PLEADS GUILTY TO CORRUPTION CHARGES REF: ABUJA 1535 Classified By: Acting Consul General Donald McConnell for reasons 1.4 ( B) and (D) ¶1. (U) On July 26, the Lagos High Court sentenced former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha to two years in prison for corruption. Alamieyeseigha pleaded guilty to six of the thirty-three counts of corruption, with each count carrying a two-year sentence. However, the judge declared Alamieyeseigha's service in prison would run concurrently from the first day of his arrest. Prior to his arrest, friends had visited Alamieyeseigha, including Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, Alamieyeseigha's former deputy in Bayelsa state, who is believed to have convinced his former boss to accept the plea bargain with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Alamieyeseigha was arrested on December 9, 2005, and is expected to be released soon. ¶2. (C) Osita Ogbu, Executive Director of the Centre for Democracy and the Rule of Law and a consultant to Transparency International, told Poloff while the conviction was encouraging the sentence was too light. The justice system has been reluctant to give lengthy sentences for corruption, Ogbu said, citing the brief six-month sentence given to former Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun after the EFCC forced him to return billions of naira. Ogbu thought it was not certain whether the other governors awaiting trial would receive similar lenient terms, as he said judges have a degree of latitude in sentencing. ¶3. (C) Comment: The conviction of Alamieyeseigha is a milestone, the EFCC's first conviction of a former governor. Alamieyeseigha's conviction has importance on two fronts. The militants had made the release of Alamieyeseigha who spurred the rise of militants by arming youths as bodyguards and enforcers, one of the conditions for peace talks. On corruption, the conviction also sends a warning and a promise to the current and former governors. There is widespread expectation that current governors will perform better with their funds than their predecessors. Former governors may have to return funds, but the EFCC seems to be leaving the door open to plea bargains in order to receive minimal jail time. End comment. MCCONNELL