Alleged N6.3bn Jang’s Fraud: Court Reserves Judgment.

Jul 16, 2022 - 04:04

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Alleged N6.3bn Jang’s Fraud: Court Reserves Judgment

A Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos, has on Thursday reserved judgement in a case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against former Governor Jonah Jang and the former cashier in the state government during Jang’s tenure, Yusuf Pam, over an alleged N6.3 billion fraud.

After both the prosecution and the defence counsels adopted their written addresses, The court arrived at the decision to reserved judgement.

The trial judge, Justice Christy Dabup, who reserved ruling on the four-year case said the date will be communicated to the parties involved in the suit.

At the resumed hearing of the case in Jos on Thursday, lead counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN brought two applications asking the court to grant it leave to appeal an earlier ruling by the court against the anti graft agency during the trial within trial.

Lead counsel to the 1st defendant Jang, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), urged the court to dismiss all the charges against his client and set him free claiming, “ the prosecution had not proven their case beyond reasonable doubts”.

“We only have one question we have formulated concerning this case. Of all the monies which they claimed my client took, where are they? We took all the 14 witnesses called by the prosecution and asked them one after the other and none of them said they saw or link any money in my client’s bank account, his wife or any of his relatives or anyone else. Where are these billions? Ozekhome insisted.

“The EFCC just created its own offence in order to get at the defendant and said approval by transfer is an offence. Set him free.”

“I urge my Lord to discharge and acquit my client of all the charges and set him free because an address no matter how brilliant can not take the place of legal proof and evidence ”

Although, the Lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN in urging the court to uphold his case said “I did not go against my Lordship’s order because no such order for a specific number of pages for the written address was given by the court.

“We did not base our own address on our own formulation but by the evidence given to the court.

“The question of whether any money was seen in any place is not the case of the prosecution. The second defendant admitted that monies were withdrawn and taken to him (Jang)

“What is he (Jang) doing with N5 bn as governor between January and May 2015? It’s so clear that the defendants have no answer to the prosecution’s case and at the end of the day, justice will prevail”

Counsel to the second defendant in his address also urged the court to dismiss the prosecution’s case and insisted that his client did nothing wrong to warrant his prosecution and opposed the applications urging the court to go ahead with the business of the day owing to the fact that, “ the applications had no bearing on the adoption of their final addresses which were slated for the court’s proceedings”

After a hot argument between both parties involved in the matter, Counsel to the EFCC conceded to the defense counsels that the business of the day which was the adoption of written addresses should go on as slated.

The Court had in January, 2020 resumed trial of the former Governor afresh following state Chief Judge reassignment of the case to a new judge, Justice Christy Dabup
after Justice Daniel Longji, who was handling the matter since March 2018, retired

Recalled, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had on 21st June, 2022, closed its case against the first and second defendant, former Governor Jonah David Jang and James Pam, a one-time cashier in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government (OSSG) where the anti-graft agency had presented 14 witnesses and tendered several exhibits.

Jang and Pam are facing trial for alleged criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of state’s funds to the tune of N6.3 billion

Jang and Pam are facing trial for alleged criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of state’s funds to the said tune of N6.3 billion.

Plateau State High Court had in January, 2020 resumed trial of the former Governor afresh following state Chief Judge reassignment of the case to a new judge, Justice Christy Dabup
after Justice Daniel Longji, who was handling the matter since March 2018, retired.

Read also a background report concerning this matter as of December 31, 2019.

“Justice Daniel Longji of the Plateau State High Court said, former Governor of the state, Jonah Jang, has a case to answer in an alleged N6.3bn fraud charge against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Jang is standing alongside a former cashier in the Office of the Secretary to the Plateau State Government, Mr Yusuf Pam, on 17 counts of alleged criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of state fund among others.

Jang had made a no-case submission after the anti-graft agency called 14 witnesses during the trial.

In their separate submissions made during the last adjourned sitting on December 23, 2019, Jang and his co-accused had urged the court to hold that there was no case against them that would warrant them to offer any explanation in the charges by the anti-graft agency.

However, the trial judge while ruling on the matter in Jos on Tuesday, agreed with the prosecution that the defendants have explanations to give before the court regarding the charges against them.

Justice Longji further stated that, he would return the case file to the Chief Judge of the state for reassignment to another judge as he would proceed on retirement after 45 years of service”

Posted Kayit Henry 15, 2022Posted incourtTags:Judiciary
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