Alleged N27 Billion Fraud: EFCC witness absolves ex-Taraba governor Ishaku in ‘transactions details’
A prosecution witness on Tuesday told an High Court, Abuja Division, that a former governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku’s name was not mentioned in a “transaction details.”
The witness, Ismail Lawal, a former personal assistant to Ishaku, gave the details during cross-examination in the trial of the former governor.
“The first defendant’s ( Ishaku)’s name did not appear on the account statement, but there was a transaction to Worthy Construction Limited.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the former governor alongside Bello Yero, a former Permanent Secretary of the state’s Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs .
They are charged with 15-count charge, marked FCT/HC/CR/ 792/2024, bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and conversion of public funds to the tune of N27 billion.
The former governor and his co-defendant, however, pleaded not guilty.
The EFCC accused the defendants of criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and fraudulent conversion of public funds to the tune of N27 billion.
The prosecution alleged that they diverted the money from the contingency funds belonging to the state’s Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and certain local governments of the states into their private uses.
In Count 15 of the charge, the EFCC alleged that the former governor of diverted money from the state coffers to his company, Worthy Construction Limited which the witness mentioned.
Being cross-examined by Mr Ishaku’s counsel, Eko Ejembi, SAN, on transfer for security purpose, the witness, noted that the transfers recorded in his notebook submitted as exhibit showed that some money were for security purposes.
Asked to go through some pages in the notebook, he said there were details of transfers to the DSS, NDLEA, Civil Defence, Permanent Secretary, IGP, NASA, and SA Security Southern Zone.
Responding to a question on whether the money was for security purposes, he said, “Some are for security while some are also to other people,” referring to the entire entries in the notebook.
Justice Slyvanius Orij , at that point adjourned until Thursday for the continuation of the cross-examination of the witness.
(NAN)
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