EFCC Operatives
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 Monday.
During the court session, the anti-graft agency presented its witness who opened a can of worms before Justice Adebukola Banjoko, of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Court, High Court, Gudu, Abuja.
Dariye is accused of diverting about N1.2 billion from the state’s Ecological Fund, to private companies and individuals.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, the EFCC witness, Musa Sunday, a detective with the EFCC, provided details into the findings of the investigative team that probed the allegations against Dariye.
Sunday told the court that the EFCC had in September 2004 received a petition from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, that the UK Metropolitan Police requested assistance of the Nigerian Government in investigating some companies linked to Dariye.
“The petition of the UK Metropolitan Police was sent by the AGF to the EFCC, and it was subsequently referred to my team,” he said.
He told the court that the team immediately swung into action to investigate the banks – All State Trust Bank, Lion Bank (now Diamond Bank), companies and individuals allegedly involved in the fraud.
“At the All State Trust Bank we discovered an account whose signatory was Haruna Dariye, but upon further investigation, we found out that the signatory was actually the defendant (Joshua Dariye),” he said.
According to him, it was discovered that the mandate of the account at the bank, had no passport photo on it, but upon interrogation of the bank manager, it was discovered that Dariye owned the account and had on opening it, requested for a waiver, which enabled him to open it without …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
