Former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, has been released from prison in The United Kingdom, where he was serving a jail sentence.

His media aide, Tony Elumenor confirmed to journalists that the former governor was released a few minutes past noon on Wednesday upon a court order.

Ibori was in 2012 sentenced to a 13-year jail term after he was found guilty of corruption by a UK court. Reports by Vanguard newspaper said that he served out his term midnight on Tuesday.

Another report said the UK Home Office had gone to court to resolve if Ibori could be released without going through confiscation trial, but the court ruled in the ex-governor’s favour.

The confiscation trial was to determine if Ibori’s assets should be confiscated after he had served his jail term.

Expectations of Ibori’s return home to Nigeria, however, remain unclear as friends and associate many of who are gathered in London deliberate on the future of the former governor.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC first arrested Ibori in Nigeria on corruption charges in December 2007. His prosecution began at a High Court in Kuduna and later transferred to Delta State but he was discharged by at the High Court sitting in Warri in controversial circumstances 2009.

However, in 2010, the INTERPOL arrested the former governor in Dubai and he was later extradited to the UK in 2011.

During Ibori’s trial in the UK, prosecutors told the trial judge how Ibori formed a phantom company called ADF to siphon $37.5million from Delta State shares in V-Mobile – a Nigerian telecom company.

The ex-governor was convicted and handed a 13-year jail sentence while his former solicitor, Bhaderesh Gohil, was jailed for 10 years for helping syphon the money.