EFCC revisits 1.1 billion corruption charge against Dariye

Former Governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has opened its case against a former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, for allegedly diverting the State’s 1.126 billion Naira ecological funds.

The prosecution’s first witness, Mr Musa Sunday, told the High Court in Abuja that Mr Dariye applied for the ecological funds in the name of his state but collected the money in person and lodged it with the Abuja branch of the All States Trust Bank Plc (now defunct).

The witness added that the bank manager, allegedly acting on Mr Dariye’s instructions, paid 100 million Naira in the name of the ‘PDP South-West’.

According to Mr Sunday, the money was later traced to a company – Marine Float Nigeria Limited – allegedly owned by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

The witness said that efforts to ensure that the firm refunded the money failed.

The EFCC had in 2007 filed a case against Mr Dariye bordering on money laundering diversion of the ecological funds.

Nigeria's leading anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in 2007, preferred 23 counts of money laundering involving alleged diversion of of about N1.126billion Plateau State Government's ecological funds against Dariye.

The charges were filed before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abujas against Dariye. He pleaded not guilty to the charges following which the trial judge, Justice Adebukola Banjoko, fixed November 13, 2007 for the commencement of trial.

But before that date, Dariye filed an application, challenging the competence of the charges and the jurisdiction of the court. He argued that he ought to be tried before a Plateau State High Court and not the FCT High Court.

On December 13, 2007, the trial judge heard and dismissed Dariye’s application for lacking in merit. Dariye appealed against the ruling of the court. But the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal affirmed the decision of Justice Banjoko. Dariye subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court.

But the apex court, on February 27, 2015 dismissed Dariye’s appeal and ordered him to submit himself for trial.