EFCC presents 3 more wintesses to testify against ex-Plateau governor Dariye
– Three more witnesses were presented by EFCC against a former Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye
– The ex-governor is being prosecuted bordering on money laundering and diversion of funds
The renewed 9-year-old trial of a former former Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye, who is prosecuted on a 23-count charge bordering on money laundering and diversion of funds, continues.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented three more witnesses before the court to testify against Dariye on Thursday, March 3.
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Among them are an assistant director with the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, Mobolanle Folaranmi, the state’s Accountant General, Cyril Isenyil, and the Cluster Control Manager in the Internal Control Unit of Diamond Bank, Garki branch in Abuja, Celestine Idiaye.
The impeached governor is not only accused of misappropriating N1.162 billion Plateau state government’s ecological funds, he is also blamed for diverting about N204 million meant for the state treasury, to Ebenezer Retnan Ventures, ERV– a company linked to him.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Folaranmi, who has spent about 27 years with the NDIC, testified as to the authenticity of statements of accounts from the defunct All States Trust Bank, ASTB, linked to the alleged fraud.
“We got a letter from the EFCC demanding for the statement of account of a customer, which we responded to because we have the computer server, being the liquidator in custodian of all the statement of accounts of all the customers of [the defunct] All States Trust Bank,” Folaranmi said.
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Folaranmi also identified the cover letter, statement of account, and certificate of identification before confirming that all the entries occcured while the bank was still in operation. She further explained that due to server security codes it impossible for anyone to forge the document or alter any figures in the statement of account domiciled with any closed bank in Nigeria.
“We retrieved the statement of account of the particular customer as at the date of closure when the Central Bank of Nigeria revoked the licence, and forwarded same to the EFCC,” she said, adding that the state of the computer server was in good and perfect form.
G. S. Pwul, SAN, counsel to Dariye objected to the admissibility of the documents arguing but it was overruled by the trial judge, and the documents accepted as part of exhibits in the trial. Justice Banjoko, thereafter, adjourned till April 5, 2016 for continuation of trial. More details at Sahara Reporters.
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