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$413,000 bribery: Ganduje to get charges through newspapers
A Kano State High Court, on Wednesday, ordered the substituted service of bribery charges on the immediate-past governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
Justice Amina Aliyu ordered the prosecution to publish the eight counts against Ganduje and his co-defendants in two daily national newspapers.
The judge gave the order following an application made to that effect by the counsel to the state government, Zahradeen Kofar Mata, who stood in for the lead prosecution counsel, Ya’u Adamu.
The Kano State Government had since April filed eight counts, bordering on bribery and financial misappropriation against Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat, and son, Abdullahi.
Also listed as defendants in the charges are Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd and Lesage General Enterprises.
In the charges, the state accused Ganduje of taking bribes to the tune of $413,000 and N1.38bn bribery.
The arraignment of the defendats first scheduled for April 17 has been staled severally over the inability of the prosecution to serve the charges on the defendants.
Counsel for the 6th defendant, Nureini Jimoh (SAN), who had been the only one appearing in court, had vehemently opposed the application by the prosecution to serve the charges on the defendants by substituted means.
At the Wednesday hearing, Jimoh challenged the appearance of Adamu, who stood for the lead prosecution counsel.
He argued that Adamu did not have the fiat to prosecute the case and contended that he lacked the legal standing to move the application for substituted service.
Conceding to Jimoh’s argument, Adamu then yielded the floor for another member of the prosecution team, Zahradeen Kofar-Mata, to move the application for substituted service.
“My Lord, Kofar-Mata has a fiat to appear in any matter concerning financial crime.
“I urge the court to allow us to move this motion,” Adama said.
Justice Aliyu upheld the submission, following which Kofar-Mata moved the motion ex parte dated May 29, 2024, and supported by a seven-paragraph affidavit.
The judge granted the prosecution’s prayer to serve the charge sheet on Ganduje and others through substituted means, by publishing the same in two national daily newspapers.
Justice Aliyu, while adjourning till July 11, directed all the counsel to present their fiat to the court.
In the charges, the prosecution alleged that “ Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, sometime between the period of January 10, 2016 or thereabouts, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor of Kano State and being a public servant in the government of Kano State corruptly asked for and received the sum of $200,000 being benefit for yourself from one of the beneficiaries of contracts awarded by the Kano State Government on your instruction and approval as part of your function as the Governor of Kano State.”
The state said Ganduje contrary to Section 22 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended), Law No 2 of 2009, Laws of Kano State of Nigeria.
In another count, the state government said, Ganduje, on February 10, 2017 “dishonestly and/or corruptly to your own advantage collected a kick-back of the sum of $ 213,000 being money generated from people and entities seeking or holding the execution of Kano State Government contact and or project for the remodeling of Kantin Kwari textile market as a bribe through one of the contractors (agent).”
In another count, the state alleged that Ganduje, between September 2020 and March 2021, “together with one Hafsat Umar (your spouse) and Abubakar Bawuro, a businessman, Safari Textile Ltd, a limited liability company, wholly owned and maintained by the 3rd defendant, agreed to do an illegal act to wit: dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of N1,376,000,000 through account No. 7085982019 belonging to the 3rd defendant being money earmarked and approved for the purchase and supply of face masks and other hospital equipment for the health sector, thereby causing wrongful loss to the people and the government of Kano State and thereby jointly committed the offence of criminal conspiracy contrary to Section 96 and punishable under section 97 of The penal code (as amended) CAP,105, Vol.2. The Laws of Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.”
The Kano State’s Attorney General, Muhuyi Magaji, said he was empowered by Section 211 of the 1999 Constitution and Sections 121(1), 126(b) and 377 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2019, “to apply to prefer the charge attached herewith against the defendants.”
Culled from the Punch
