Joshua Dariye
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on January 26, 2016 presented more evidence against a former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, who is being prosecuted on a 23-count charge bordering on money laundering and diversion of funds, before Justice Adebukola Banjoko, of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Gudu, Abuja.
Dariye, in addition to being accused of siphoning about N1.2 billion Ecological Fund meant for the state, is also alleged to have diverted about N204 million meant for the state treasury, to Ebenezer Ratnen Ventures, ERV – a company owned by him.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, the EFCC witness, Musa Sunday, a detective with the EFCC, gave details of how money meant for the Plateau State Government account, was diverted to ERV.
Sunday told the court that in the course of investigations into several cheque slips recovered from the then Lion Bank (now Diamond Bank), it was discovered that there were several questionable inflows into the account of ERV.
Further probe into the account, according to Sunday, revealed that the source of the funds came from the Plateau State government, but for no services rendered.
Presenting the certified photocopies of various bank drafts in court to prove the fraudulent transfers, Sunday, said: “In the course of our investigations we found out that the origin of the various money credited to Ebenezer Ratnen Ventures with Diamond Bank (then Lion Bank), was from the office of the state’s Accountant General.”
Counsel to Dariye, G. S. Pwul, SAN, raised an objection to the admissibility of the photocopies of the bank drafts raised from the cheques, but his objection was overruled by Justice Banjoko, and the documents were accepted as exhibits.
Specifically, Sunday, said that the office of the state’s Accountant General issued Lion Bank cheques to All States Trust Bank, which …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
