Habila Dung, a prosecution witness in the N6.3 billion fraud case against Jonah Jang, has said that the former Plateau governor’s style of expending security funds was not peculiar to him.

“Jang’s way of handling security funds is not new; it is the same way his successor, Gov. Simon Lalong, is doing it,” Mr Dung, former Permanent Secretary, Cabinet and Special Services, told the Plateau State High Court trying Mr Jang, on Friday in Jos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Mr Dung is the fourth prosecution witness in the case brought against Mr Jang and Yusuf Pam, a former cashier in the Plateau Government House.

The accused persons are being tried over the alleged fraud said to have been committed between September 2010 and October 2014.

They are facing 12 count charges bordering on conspiracy and money laundering allegedly committed when Jang was the governor of the north-central state.

The anti-graft agency is alleging that the defendants had conspired to defraud the state of the said amount (N6.3bn), via illegal acts, contrary to, and punishable under, sections 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2011, as amended.

The former permanent secretary had, on Thursday, told the trial Judge, Daniel Longji, that all withdrawals made by Mr Pam were taken to Mr Jang for disbursement to the 17-member State Security Council.

But, while being cross-examined on Friday by Mr Jang’s counsel, Mike Ezekhome, Mr Dung said that the practice of withdrawing security funds from the state coffers by a cashier and delivering same to the governor in his office, was not peculiar to Jang.

“The practice is still on-going, long after Jang left office in May 29, 2015. The current governor is doing the same. So, it is nothing new.

“I was the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet and Special Services in the office of the Secretary to the State Government, between December 2014 and September 6, 2015.

“Once there is a security challenge, the governor will ask me to raise a memo for a certain amount which will be withdrawn by the cashier and taken to the governor,’’ he said.

NAN reports that Mr Ezekhome produced documents indicating withdrawals done between July 1 to October 7, 2015, in eight different bank statements by Yusuf Pam and his successor, Erick Kangnan, to further confirm that such withdrawals were “a normal trend with both the Jang and Lalong administrations.

“Will I, therefore, be correct to say that during Gov Jang’s and Gov Lalong’s tenures, while you were the permanent secretary, and when Yusuf Pam and Erick Kangnan were cashiers, the same pattern was adopted?’’ Mr Ezekhome asked, to which Dung answered, “yes sir, the pattern was the same.’’

“The same pattern used in withdrawing security funds tagged as `classified expenditures’ during Governor Jonah Jang is still the same pattern within the administration of Lalong,’’ Dung reaffirmed to the court.

The defence counsel asked the prosecution witness whether he had ever seen Pam (2nd accused), delivering any of the withdrawn funds to Mr Jang in his office, to which he answered in the negative.

On whether he had ever seen Mr Jang putting any such monies in the booth of his car to take home or heard anybody said he/she saw him (Jang), doing that when he was governor, Mr Dung answered, “not at all sir.’’

The defence counsel also asked Mr Dung whether he had ever heard any of the beneficiaries of the security funds complaining that Mr Jang ever denied him/her of his/her allowance, and the to prosecution witness said that no one had ever complained.

On whether the same security challenges Mr Jang faced as governor were faced by Governor Lalong when he (Dung), was still in office as permanent secretary in the cabinet office, Dung answered in the affirmative.

According to him, Mr Lalong was facing the same security challenges and was withdrawing and expending security funds “the same way”.

Justice Longji has adjourned the case to March 5, 6 and 7, 2019 for the continuation of hearing. (NAN)

Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/north-central/299771-alleged-n6-3bn-fraud-lalong-spends-plateau-money-same-way-jang-did-witness-tells-court.html

This is very funny o. When your own prosecution witness turns around and start to defend the accused. EFCC is a joke

Let's just sell Nigeria......

This Country sef

Plateau state is cursed with bad governors with stupid names

chinjo:
This is very funny o. When your own prosecution witness turns around and start to defend the accused. EFCC is a joke

LOL

Ironic...

They just deh withdraw Nigeria money anyhow yet they can't pay minimum wage

I thought the issue is about fraud but basically the efcc is talking about manner of withdrawal. They seem not to have facts against Jonah Jang. It is more or less a case of hang him because he is from the pdp

Imagine. So because there’s no one to have witness the governor carrying the money into his own car have given the governor the right to withdraw state funds in cash?

Now EFCC have to either prove that it is illegal for the Governor to withdraw cash or get another witness that saw the governor take the money to his own booth or better still ask the governor to make available to the court an acknowledgement document that confirmed the money was received by the necessary security bodies. You can’t disburse N6bn without anybody acknowledging its receipt.

Whatever happened to bank transfers but because he doesn’t want a trace to be possible on the funds, he chose to use cash.


Honestly Nigeria really needs to get rid of N1000, N500 and N200 notes. Let’s see how you’d carry N6bn in N100 notes without needing bullion van and a host of witnesses to the transport of the huge cash.

wonderful

jomoh:
Imagine. So because there’s no one to have witness the governor carrying the money into his own car have given the governor the right to withdraw state funds in cash?

Whatever happened to bank transfers but because he doesn’t want a trace to be possible on the funds.


Honestly Nigeria really needs to get rid of N1000, N500 and N200 notes. Let’s see how you’d carry N6bn in N100 without needing bullion van and a host of witnesses to the transport of the huge cash.

Will you also get rid of dollars

felines:

Will you also get rid of dollars

YES. Dollars is not our local currency.


Though, Dollars already has a cap(you can’t be caught with more than $10,000 at any point in time) we just need to enforce it but then again we need to also get rid of it.

No sane country allows a foreign currency to flood its own economy like we are doing.

Go to SA, you can live in the country for 5years or more and never for once set your eyes on dollars, same Dubai and other serious countries but not in Nigeria.

All these is very easy for CBN to do. It’s a matter of directive to banks.

More reason why insecurity won't be defeated in this country. What a shame!

Efcc...only against the opposition.... There's clearly no case here na

Plateau people and funny names


But not funnier than Omoni Oboli. What a name!