Former Plateau State Governor, Joshua Chibi Dariye was Tuesdsy sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for helping himself with state funds.
The court, while convicting him , said he deeped his hands into funds meant to redress the ecological problems of the state.
Coming two weeks after another former Governor Jolly Nyame and Senator,vwas jailed is quite instructive.
The trial judge, Justice Adebukola Banjoko, in sentencing Dariye, a Senator, representing Plateau Central, said she was satisfied that the defendant, being a public officer that had full dominion and control of ecological funds the Federal Government released to Plateau State in 2001, converted and diverted same for his personal use.
She held that the ex-Governor criminally misappropriated funds and acted in violent breach of public trust and his oath of office.
In her verdict, Justice Banjoko said she was not persuaded by Dariye’s claim of being a victim, decrying what she termed as “brazen act of systematic looting” while the defendant held sway as Governor.
With the conviction, Dariye may have pathetically come to an end of era in his political journey, at least for now.
Dariye, who was born July 27, 1957, mounted the saddle as the Governor of Plateau State on May 29, 1999.
He came on board on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and was re-elected for another four-year term starting in May 2003.
That was when his political trivails, with the then President Olusegun acting as the Achilles, opened.
This also opened a new chapter in his battle to survive Nigeria’s political chess game. Through the anti-graft commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Obasanjo orchestrated a probe, goaded to cut short his political journey, midstream.
He was impeached in November 2006, year to the end of his second tenure.
Prior to his impeachment, series of events played out, starting from 2003 after he was sworn in for his second term in office.
It started in London when he was arrested in his hotel room for money laundering offences.
A retired detective with the Metropolitan Police in London, Peter Clerk, in May 19, 2016, said it all and opened a can of worms on Dariye.
As a prosecution witness in the trial of the ex-Governor, Clerk painted a graphic picture of a leader who had no hoot for the people he was elected to lead.
Clerk’s testimony brought to the fore a Governor enslaved by self aggrandizement and indifference to the poor condition of his people.
Clerk, testifying before Justice Adebukola Banjoko, narrated the operations that led to the arrest of Dariye in London in September 2004, which eventually led o his impeachment in 2006.
Testifying as the ninth prosecution witness Clerk gave details of Dariye’s alleged extravagant spending, including the purchase of a pen worth £7,000 in London, before the former Governor was arrested.
He said: “From the examination of Mr Dariye’s account, he travelled all over the world. From his passport, we saw stamps of several countries.
“We found seven pairs of shoes which cost £700 per pair. He paid £7,000 for a pen. He purchased a lot of things in high luxurious stores.”
Led in evidence by the lead prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Clerk said he was also involved in the investigation of the former Governor of Bayelsa State, the late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, for money laundering in London before he (Alamieyeseigha) jumped bail.
The witness, who indicated that he started investigating Dariye in January 2004, said the former Governor was arrested in his hotel room on September 28, 2004, while on a visit to London.
He said: “On September 28, 2004, we were informed that Joshua Dariye was in London in a hotel. I went there with two other officers who also identified themselves as police officers.
“I informed him (Dariye) that we were investigating his accounts and we arrested and informed him under caution that we believed that the money was stolen and proceeds of money laundering. He said nothing.”
He stated that on September 28, 2004, when Dariye was arrested, £43,000 was found in the former Governor’s hotel room.
He said on the same day, £50,000, out of which £40,000 belonged to Dariye, was found with a lady, Christabel Bentu, who was said to have claimed to be a Personal Assistant to the former Governor, in another room in the same hotel.
Clerk added: “In September 2004, £43,000 in cash was found in Dariye’s room when it was searched. There were various denominations and currencies including Scottish notes, dollars, euros.
“The cash seized was packed into a container, for which he signed. It was photographed. I have copies of the photograph. Dariye and Christopher Bentu were taken to the police.”
He said his colleague searched a property belonging to Dariye and found £11,995.
Clerk stated that Dariye was later released on bail and was expected to return to London in December 2004, but never did.
The witness said a valid arrest warrant was, till date, still pending against the former Governor after jumping bail to Nigeria.
Clerk added: “Dariye was informed that if he attempted to move any money, he would be charged for further money laundering.
“In September 2004, I looked at Joshua Dariye in the eyes and said to him, ‘I know you are a religious man’, I asked him if he would come back on December 14, 2004. He said ‘yes’, he would, but he failed to show up. Bentu also failed to show up.
“My colleague searched his property and found £11,995 on the premises and some flyers. They also found three Barclays cheques. They were all seized immediately we made an application for his arrest in London. The arrest warrant is still valid till today. It was circulated in all computers that Dariye was wanted.”
He said the Metropolitan Police deliberately did not ask for Dariye’s extradition to London because he was under immunity as a serving governor, but that soon after he completed his tenure in 2007, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission filed charges against him.
He said: “He (Dariye) failed to return for his bail. I immediately applied for a warrant of arrest, which was granted by a Magistrate in London. That is still valid. He is wanted in London as of today.”
Clerk confirmed that the evidence he gave before an impeachment panel led to Dariye’s removal from office as Governor in November 2006, though he was later reinstated by the Supreme Court.
He, however, said he didn’t complete his evidence before the investigating panel in Jos “because the defence was playing games” and he was already scheduled to fly back to London.
He said Dariye operated nine accounts with Barclays Bank.
His conviction did not come as surprise on Tuesday. In fact it would have been a wonder of the 21st century if he was set free by the court.
As Justice Banjoko said, a maximum sentene of 14 years on him was necessary to serve as deterrent to others, that is, if politicians will ever learn.
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