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.
