Tag Archives: Dariye

Joshua Dariye’s $1.2 billion corruption trial stalled

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The trial of a former governor of Plateau, Joshua Dariye, was on Friday stalled in an FCT High Court, Gudu, due to the absence of defence witness.

Mr. Dariye is facing a 23-count charge bordering on money laundering and diversion of ecological fund to the tune of N1.162billion.

He was present in court on Friday, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The defence counsel, Fidelis Kaatpo, holding the brief of Garba Pwul, told the court that two of the witnesses were yet to be served summons.

“The court bailiff was unable to serve them because they were not reachable,” he said.

He also said that the witnesses reside in Jos.

In his response, the EFCC lead prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, expressed concern that unnecessary adjournments may delay conclusion of the matter.

The trial judge, Abebukola Banjoko, ordered that a fresh court summons be served on the witnesses.

She adjourned the case till Tuesday, December13 for continuation of defence.

Mr. Dariye recently decamped from the opposition PDP to Nigeria’s ruling APC.

The fugitive lawmaker is still wanted in the UK from where he jumped bail after he was arrested for money laundering while serving as Plateau Governor.

PDP may declare Dariye’s seat vacant – Dachom

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Former Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau state, Mr. Mike Dachom, has said that the party might declare the seat of a former governor of the state, Mr. Joshua Dariye, vacant following his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Dariye was governor of Plateau State under PDP from 1999 to 2007.

Dariye, before his defection, represents Plateau central senatorial zone in the Senate under the PDP. He first got to the Senate under the Labour Party in 2007, but went back to PDP in 2015.

Dachom told our correspondent in an interview in Jos on Friday that all options are on the table, including initiating his recall, stressing that the reason Dariye gave for his action is not tenable in law, “as the PDP is not in crisis.”

He argued that only the court can declare that a party is in crisis, adding that the PDP structures in the state, from the ward level where the senator came from to the state and zonal level, are very much intact.

The former organising secretary said, “The crisis that the constitution envisaged is only one that can be so declared by a court of law. Unless a court makes a definite pronouncement that a party is truly in crisis, nobody can say so, more so as the Independent National Electoral Commission was able to recognise the Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP for the Edo election.”

He said, “The party will be exploring all options, including declaring the seat vacant, because the party is not in crisis. Recall that Governor Simon Lalong’s seat was declared vacant when he was the Speaker of the House of Assembly, along with other members when they defected to the Action Congress of Nigeria from PDP.

“The same scenario is playing out and we are planning adequate response to it.”

How Dariye Shared N1.2 Billion Ecological Fund- Witness

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The trial of a former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a 23-count charge bordering on money laundering and diversion of funds, continued on Tuesday with a statement he made in 2007 forming the focus of the day’s proceedings.

His trial before Justice Adebukola Banjoko of a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Gudu, Abuja, commenced last Tuesday with the EFCC presenting exhibits, including the statement, as part of documents to prosecute the former governor for allegedly diverting N1.162 billion Ecological Fund meant for the state, to private companies and individuals.

In the statement, Mr. Dariye had acknowledged giving instruction to All States Trust Bank, (now defunct), on the disbursement of the said N1.162 billion fund, which had been released by the Office of the Ecological Fund and credited to the bank.

A document from the bank confirming the disbursement of the fund as instructed by Mr. Dariye was also presented in court.

In the document, the then state governor instructed that N250 million be paid to Pinnacle Communications Limited, PCL; N80 million to Union Savings & Loans; N550 million to the Plateau State government; N100 million to People’s Democratic Party, PDP, South-west; and N176,862,900 to Ebenezer Retnan Ventures, ERV.

Prosecution witness, Musa Sunday, who was cross-examined by G. S. Pwul, counsel to Mr. Dariye, told the court that the documents, including Mr. Dariye’s statement, were obtained in the course of investigations into the alleged diversion of the N1.162 billion Fund.

According to him, though during investigation the owner of PCL – a contractor with the state government confirmed the receipt for work done for the state, ERV was a company owned by the former governor, and actually got paid N160 million (instead of N176,862,900  as earlier instructed by Dariye) for no services rendered to the state government.

He told the court that during interrogation of Mr. Dariye, he admitted that the balance of about N16 million was shared between the then Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Nasir Mantu, who got N10 million, and the remaining N6 million given to the PDP in the state.

Credit: PremiumTimes

How Dariye Diverted N1.2bn Ecological Fund– Witness

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A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court was informed yesterday how, former governor of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye collected N1.2 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and did not deposit same into any account of the state government.

A prosecution witness and detective from the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Musa Sunday disclosed this yesterday when Dariye’s trial resumed after almost nine years.

Dariye was arraigned 2007 for various offences bordering on money laundering, abuse of office and corruption.  He pleaded not guilty to all the 23 count charge preferred against him but filed interlocutory appeals to scuttle his trial.
Dariye was then the governor of Plateau State when the offence was allegedly committed.
Before the case started yesterday, the trial Judge, Justice Adebukola Banjoko warned all parties that her court would not tolerate any application for frivolous adjournment.
In his evidence in chief, detective Musa Sunday, who was led by Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), informed the court there was a request from the UK Metropolitan Police which was referred to the Attorney General of the Federation with a petition to the EFCC.
The detective said the names of some banks were mentioned on the petition.
The letter of request from UK Metropolitan Police and that from Attorney General of the Federation’s office were sent to EFCC under its former chairman Nuhu Ribadu.
According to him, as the team received the letter, they moved on the request to the mentioned banks. “First we went to All States Trust bank where we met the manager who made the account available to us and we also collected the mandate card for the account which was opened in the name of Haruna Dariye as signatory to the account.
“The signature on the mandate was signed by the accused Senator Dariye. An officer in charge of the account was arrested by EFCC to assist the commission identify “Haruna Dariye.”’
According to him, “The circumstance in which the said account was opened in All States Trust Bank was suspicious because there was no picture in the mandate card. We confirmed that waivers were given to Dariye not to use his passport photograph.”
Meanwhile the matter continues today.

Credit: dailytrust

Dariye’s Trial Commences Over Diversion Of N1.2 Billion Ecological Fund

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The trial of Senator Joshua Dariye, former governor of Plateau State, before Justice Banjoko sitting at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Gudu, in Abuja resumed today after it was stalled for almost a decade.

Dariye’s trial started since 2007 following a petition received by the then Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) in May, 2004.

The accused Senator was in court as early as 8:30am and waited patiently until the first case was called in which the judge spent almost two hours reading a judgment.

The star witness in the case Detective Musa painted a vivid picture of how Dariye instructed the All States Trust Bank to lodge the N1.2 billion ecological fund for Plateau State into accounts that does not belong to the Plateau State government.

Credit: dailytrust