Trial commenced, on Monday, in the money laundering case against former Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye, about nine years after he was charged.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuting the matter called its first witness, who told the court how Dariye allegedly diverted the state’s N1.126 billion Ecological Funds.
The witness, Musa Sunday, a detective with the EFCC who was led in evidence by lead prosecution lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), told the trial judge, Justice Adebukola Banjoko, that he was involved in the investigation into how Dariye allegedly diverted Plateau State’s funds while serving as governor.
He told the court how Dariye allegedly applied for the Ecological Fund in the name of his state in 2001, but collected the money in person and diverted it.
Sunday said upon receiving the cheque for the N1.126 billion fund, Dariye allegedly lodged it with his private banker, the Abuja branch manager of All States Trust Bank Plc (now defunct), with instruction on how it should be disbursed.
The witness said investigation by EFCC operatives revealed that the bank manager, allegedly acting on Dariye’s instruction, paid N100 million in the name of “PDP South-west” which funds was later traced to a company - Marine Float Nigeria Limited.
Sunday said Dariye instructed the payment of N178.8 million to an unregistered company - Ebenezer Retnan Venture Limited, which was later discovered to belong to the ex-governor.
He said Dariye paid N250 million to a firm - Pinacle Communications – owned by a contractor to the Plateau State government and said the decision to investigate Dariye was informed by a request by the London Metropolitan Police for Nigeria’s assistance in investigating some parties and companies linked to the former governor.
Dariye is currently a senator representing a senatorial district in Plateau State.
Sunday said: “Based on the request, we moved to the mentioned banks. We first went to All States Trust Bank, Abuja, where we met with the branch manager, who made available to us information about the account of Ebenezer Retnan Ventures limited.
From the mandate form of the account, we found that the signatory to the account was Haruna Dariye. The signature to the account was by the defendant (Dariye). The Account Officer, Awe Obesa, who marketed the account to the defendant, told us this.
He was arrested to confirm to us who Haruna Dariye was. He could not identify who Haruna Dariye was and we found that the circumstance surrounding the opening of the account was suspicious. We also found that there was no picture in the mandate card.
He is expected to resume his testimony on Tuesday by 10.00 a.m.
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