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A Federal Capital Territory FCT, high court
sitting in Abuja,
on Wednesday
October 27th 2010
ordered a former governor of
Plateau
state,
Mr.
Joshua
Dariye
to be prepared to face trial over charges of
stealing, and misappropriation of public
funds totalling over N7.4 billion
preferred
against him by the Economic and
Financial
Crimes
Commission, EFCC, and stop filing frivolous
applications in various courts to stall
trial.
The judge submitted that Dariye had already
lost it at the
appeal court
where he filed a suit challenging the
jurisdiction of the FCT high court, and so
the coast is now clear for her to proceed
with the trial.
However, as part of the antics to stall the
much-prolonged trial, counsel to the
accused, Barrister Chris Umar told the court
that Dariye had filed another application at
the
Supreme Court
challenging the ruling of the appeal court.
But the EFCC counsel, Adebin Adewuyi told
the court that the anti-graft agency has not
been served, and prayed the court to proceed
with the trial in line with the ruling of
the appeal court which had asked the accused
person to return to the lower court to face
trial.
He pointed out that the EFCC has already
prepared its witnesses who are ready to
testify.
After listening to both counsel, Justice
Adebunkola Banjoko asked the accused person
to put aside all his frivolous applications
and face the substantive case. She
thereafter adjourned the case to the 25th
and
26th of January 2011
for definite hearing.
Dariye is facing a 23 count charge bordering
on stealing, misappropriation of public
funds and criminal breach of trust, while
serving as Governor of Plateau state. He has
been delaying trial through frivolous
applications.
At the last hearing Justice Banjoko said
since Dariye had gone on appeal on the issue
of jurisdiction, she could not do anything
on the release or otherwise of Dariye’s
travelling documents. The judge insisted
that she would go ahead with the hearing of
the criminal charge preferred against the
former governor.
She explained that mere filing of an
interlocutory appeal by Dariye against her
ruling on jurisdiction was not enough to
stay proceedings in the case.
Femi Babafemi, Head, Media & Publicity
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