Court fixes new date for alleged N1.5bn fraud case against Dariye’s son

The Federal High Court, Abuja has fixed Oct. 4, to hear an address on a no-case submission by Nanle Dariye, son of a former Plateau Governor, Joshua Dariye.

On June 13, the senior Dariye bagged 14 years imprisonment for embezzling state funds.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nanle is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a six-count amended charge of money laundering in the sum of N1.5 billion.

At the resumed trial on Friday, following the cross- examination of the third prosecution witness, Mr Effa Imoh-Okim, the Prosecutor, Mr George Adebola closed the case of the prosecution.

“My Lord, that is the case of the prosecution, we have no more witnesses to call,” he said.

Counsel to Nanle, Mr Peter Erivwode then asked the court for a date to enable him prove that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima-facie case against his client.

“My Lord, the prosecution having closed its case, we ask for a date to establish that no case has been made against the defendant, to warrant him to open his defence.”

The trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, adjourned the matter until Oct. 4 for address on a “no-case” submission.

Earlier, during cross-examination, the witness had told the court that the signature on the statement Nanle made to the EFCC was different from the one on the documents obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Erivwode asked the court to show the documents to the witness to confirm if the signatures on them were the same, and he said they were different.

The documents from the CAC are in respect to the registration status of a hotel, Apartment le Paradis, the second defendant in the matter where Nanle is alleged to be a director.

The EFCC alleges that Nanle, sometime in 2013, failed to report a cash transaction to the tune of N1.5 billion which he received through the hotel’s bank account.

According to the anti-graft agency, the offence contravenes Section 5(1) (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and is punishable under Section 5 (b) of the same Act.