Two Prosecution witnesses who had earlier testified in the ongoing trial of the former Governor of Plateau State, Sen. Jonah Jang and were again recalled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to appear in court, have all said they never paid any money into the accused personal account.
The witnesses including a former Plateau State Accountant General, Mr Sauka Boyi were recalled in compliance with a court order.
It would be recalled the presiding Judge, Justice Daniel Longji had given the order during the last hearing on the matter after ruling on a fresh application brought before the court by the anti-graft agency seeking to amend the earlier charges against the former Governor from count 12 to 17.
DAILY POST recalls that the former Governor is standing trial at the State High Court alongside a former Cashier in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the State, Mr Yusuf Pam on alleged corruption and misappropriation of the state fund amounting to N6.3bn while he was governor between 2007 and 2015.
At the resumed hearing of the case in Jos, the former Accountant General of Plateau State, who was led in evidence by the former Governor’s Counsel, Edward Pwajok , SAN, testified on the N2bn CBN fund.
The fund was said to have been given as loan by the CBN for the development of Small and Medium Enterprises in the State, but which the EFCC claimed was part of the over N6bn allegedly embezzled by the former Governor.
According to the former Accountant General in his testimony, no such money was paid into Jang ‘s personal account, pointing out that due process was followed by the then State Commissioner of Finance, Mr Davou Mang, whom he said wrote a letter to the governor requesting to borrow the said amount after it was paid by the CBN into an account belonging to the state government.
He added that the Commissioner of Finance thereafter wrote another letter to Jang requesting for his approval to utilize the loan fund for “classified approvals” in line with the N5.1 bn supplementary budget of the state approved for 2015,a request which he said was granted by the former Governor.
Also testifying during his recross -examination, a former Jos branch Manager of the Zenith Bank, Mr Uchenna Igwe whose bank received the N2bn CBN fund on behalf of the Plateau State Government, said he never received any instruction from the former Governor to transfer the fund into his personal account.
