Former Taraba State Governor Arch Darius Ishaku has been granted bail of NOK 150 million by the FCT High Court on charges of fraud of NOK 27 billion filed by the Federal Government.
The former governor was granted bail on Thursday by Judge Sylvanas Origi with two sureties of the same amount.
The court said one of the two sureties must be a public servant and both must be residents of the FCT with home addresses confirmed by the registrar of the court.
The court also blocked the former governor and co-defendant Bello Yero from traveling abroad.
It also said that if defendants need to travel abroad, they must obtain permission from the court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Court, EFCC, through SAN State Counsel Rotimi Jacobs, did not oppose the former governor’s bail request.
Jacobs’ rationale was that the EFCC had previously granted administrative bail to the defendant on its own, but the defendant did not jump over it.
Judge Origi granted bail, fixing the trial start dates for the alleged fraud case as November 4, 5 and 13.
Ishaku, who resigned in 2023 after serving as governor for eight years, was charged with 15 charges by the EFCC, but he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Monday.
A copy of the indictment dated September 27 names the former governor and former local government permanent secretary, Bello Yero, as defendants.
In a complaint marked CR/792/24, the EFCC, in Abuja, accused the defendant of diverting the sum of N1,010,000,000 to personal use between August 25, 2015 and March 21, 2016. did.
The agency said the amount is part of the 2.5% contingency fund belonging to the Department of Local Government and Chief Executive Secretariat.
The anti-corruption authority noted that the two had committed an offense in violation of section 315 of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria Act 532 of 2007 and could be punished under that section.
Mr. Ishaku and Mr. Yero are also accused of misappropriating a total of N1,138,082,097.71, part of the 2.5% reserve fund belonging to the Local Government and Chief Executive Secretariat, from July 2015 to May 2019. has been done.
Also, between September 3, 2015 and January 29, 2018, in Abuja, the defendants misappropriated N761,301,000 to repay a N1 billion loan granted by Zenith Bank. was accused of. to his company, Worthy Construction Limited.
“From July 19, 2019 to February 5, 2021, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, you are the Governor of Taraba State while Bello Yero is the Permanent Secretary of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Taraba State. , and in such capacity entrusted with control over certain properties, viz., the sum of N3,348,942,411.15, the Taraba State Local Government Department and Chieftaincy Affairs Department; and you have committed an offense of criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property, forming part of the funds belonging to the Taraba State Local Government Council, and you have fraudulently diverted the same to your own use,” the indictment reads. Some are written.
Other amounts alleged to have formed part of the contingency funds misappropriated by the defendants include N650,686,369.99 between January 6, 2019 and April 29, 2021; 193,030,000 Naira from January 2019 to April 29, 2021. 170,549,842.00 Naira etc. from January 6, 2019 to April 29, 2021.
