Ex Plateau State Governor lands 14 years in prison for N1.12b fraud

Joshua Dariye, a former Governor of Plateau state has been jailed for 14 years on Tuesday after being found guilty of corruption and diversion of N1.126 billion to an unregistered company.

A visibly shaken Joshua Dariye was seen in the court house as he was briefly allowed to use the bathroom, pausing the court proceedings.

The senator who serves as one of the three Senators for Plateau state was sentenced by Justice Adebukola Banjoko, without the option of fine.

Joshua Dariye was found guilty on a 6 count charge on the allegation of unlawful transferring of funds to the sum of 1.126bn ecological needs of the state to the Peoples Democratic Party, in the southwest.

The ruling judge, Justice Adebukola Banjoko also found the former governor guilty in 1, 2 and 7 count charge of other related offences of dishonesty.

Mr. Dariye was found guilty on count 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10 while not guilty on county 14, 16, 18.

On count 17,21,23, Mr. Dariye was found guilty as charges for breach of trust and on count 3, 9,11,22 for criminal misappropriation of funds he was guilty as charged.

Mr. Dariye whose case is over 10 years is standing trial on a 23 count charge for money laundering allegedly diverting the State’s 1.126 billion Naira ecological funds.

Mr. Dariye was arraigned by the EFCC on July 13, 2007, bordering on money laundering and other corruption charges alleged to have belonged to the Plateau State Government.

According to the EFCC, the former governor diverted the funds into the account of Ebenezer Ratnen Venture, which is alleged to be one of the companies through which he allegedly siphoned the public funds.

Mr. Dariye served the state from 1999- 2007.

The former governor appeared in court in a white agbada with family members and friends.

He (Dariye), looted in ignorance, his lawyer begged before the axe fell.

In her ruling, the judge said: “I can’t imagine a brazen act of looting as in this case,” Banjoko said.

“I welled up while reading (the judgement) thinking of the victims, it is a litany of woes. They were adults making rational choices. More importantly, I think what touches me the most, your family, they are victims.

“Having found the defendant guilty of these counts of criminal breach trust and criminal appropriation, the court sentences you to two years for criminal breach of trust and 14 years for criminal appropriation.”

During his time as governor, he was arrested along in London, England, on 20 January 2004, with large sums of money.