Former Governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.
The judgement was given on Tuesday by a Federal High Court judge in Abuja, Justice Adebukola Banjoko.
Prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Dariye was found guilty of corruptly enriching himself to the tune of N1.16bn.
Of the 23 count-charge, Dariye was found guilty of 15.
The charges border on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds.
While he was sentenced to two years in prison for criminal breach of trust he was sentenced to 14 years for criminal misappropriation of funds.
The sentences will however run concurrently.
He was not given an option of fine.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Banjoko said: “I can’t imagine such brazen act as the transfer of as much as about half a billion naira from the state’s Ecological Fund into a personal venture account; there’s a litany and trail of woes, which also affects the people of Jos – the beautiful Tin City, where everybody wanted to be, and to find out that its Ecological Fund was misappropriated is the shocking aspect.
“There’s a deep sense of irresponsibility; the defendant was in fact richer than his state. This is a trauma of the trial and there should be no compromise to corruption, by whatever shade or colour, or region. Rich or poor, corruption will forever be corruption.
“Every case is different on its own, and I have no personal animosity, I’m just doing my job the way I know how to, and not only the Ecological Funds [were misappropriated], but funds from the Plateau State government.”
