A former member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Banahel Andong, on November 8, 2016 told a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Gudu, Abuja that it is not wrong for funds allocated to a state to be credited into someone’s personal account.
The former lawmaker, who is currently the acting District Head of Manguana in Boggos Local Government Area of the state, testified as the ninth defence witness in the ongoing trial of a former Plateau State Governor, Joshua Dariye.
Dariye is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before Justice Adebukola Banjoko for allegedly siphoning about N1.2 billion Ecological Fund meant for the state and diverting about N204 million meant for the state treasury to Ebenezer Ratnen Ventures, a company linked to him.
Under cross-examination by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, Andong was asked if he would be surprised if the state’s statutory allocation was paid into his personal account.
He said: “I will be so happy, I’ll be very happy; it depends on the memo accompanying it, but of course government can give me money.
“When we lost our traditional ruler, government gave me money.
“I was very happy and I collected it.”
When he was further pressed by Jacobs if it was proper to pay funds meant for the local government area into a personal account, Andong again responded in the affirmative.
However, when Jacobs further pressed him if government funds meant for the state’s House of Assembly can be paid into the personal account of a serving lawmaker, Andong said: “It can’t.”
Andong, who served as a legislator between 1999 and 2003 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, told the court that as Chairman, House Committee on Works, Housing and Transport, he carried out his oversight duty on several projects carried out by the Dariye administration to combat erosion in the state.
Earlier, during examination by the defence counsel, G. S. Pwul, he noted: “The bill setting up the Direct Labour Agency, which carried out the road construction works, was sent to the House of Assembly, read by the speaker of the Assembly on the need to have such an agency to solve the rural infrastructure needs of the state.”
While admitting that he did not know the source of the funding for the road projects, Andong said: “All I know was that there was some intervention from the Federal Government on the ecological funds to assist the state and the Dariye administration did a very good job in arresting the situation and several roads were reclaimed from erosion in the state.”
After his exit in 2003, Andong was appointed by the administration of Jonah Jang as the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, but spent a little above a year in the office before he was dropped in a cabinet reshuffle, having fallen out with the governor.
He afterwards joined the Plateau State Integrity Group, a socio-political lobby group calling for the probe of Jang for corruption.
Currently a member of the All Progressives Congress, Andong was questioned by Jacobs on the mission of the Integrity Group as regards speaking against corruption in the state.
“You and the members of the group set it up calling for the probe of Jang’s government for corruption,” Jacobs queried.
Answering in the affirmative, Andong, however, buckled when the prosecuting counsel questioned him further if the group extended its probe into administrations from 1999 to 2015, which included that of Dariye.
“I’m not the chairman of the group and so I can’t speak on their behalf,” he said.
Justice Banjoko has adjourned to November 9, 2016 for further hearing.
News N1.2b fraud: Nothing wrong in paying State funds into private accounts –...
