Dariye loot: Plateau demands £1.17m from AGF

The Plateau State Government has asked the Federal Ministry of Justice to remit to it the sum of £1, 117, 741.26 which it claims is the total amount due to it from funds recovered from the loot allegedly stashed away in England by a former governor of the state, Chief Joshua Dariye.This demand is coming even as the state is suing the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, and the Federal Government, seeking to compel the defendants to disclose all the monies recovered from Dariye.

In a letter dated January 19, 2009 with reference number MOJ/S/JUS.6/S.11/T and addressed to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Aondoakaa, the Plateau State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Edward Pwajok, said, ”I am in receipt of a witness statement issued by James John Maton forwarding to you a total sum of £981, 244.36 by way of two cheques. The first was for £300, 000.00 while the balance of £681, 244.36 was provided for as part of the judgment sum received in the United Kingdom.”

Pwajok reminded Aondoakaa that he (Aondoakaa) had earlier handed over £436, 969.90 to Plateau which was returned to Aondoakaa‘s office because it was written in the FG‘s name.

He, therefore, requested the justice minister to forward a total of £1, 117, 741. 26 being the amount payable to Plateau State.

Saturday PUNCH investigations revealed that while £981, 244.36 out of the £1, 325, 799.17, recovered by a British Firm, Kendall Freeman, had been sent to the Federal Ministry of Justice from the UK, only £416, 000 was returned to the state government. The remaining amount was said to have been used by the firm to pay its own legal fees. The amount returned has not been remitted to Plateau State as it was written in the name of the FG.

Saturday PUNCH had on December 1, 2007 exclusively reported a row between the state and office of the AGF over the return of the looted funds. Plateau had alleged that a British Firm, Kendall Freeman, which had been acting as attorney for the FG in the recovery suit was actually paying itself from the looted funds and also keeping part of the monies.

Plateau State Attorney-General, Pwajok, who confirmed the development to Saturday PUNCH said he had written to Aondoakaa over the matter.

He vowed that the state was determined to get the total money recovered from the loot recovery proceedings. Pwajok expressed surprise that the AGF would allow the state to expend money on litigation when the funds were already in the custody of the FG.

Plateau had obtained the leave of a Federal High Court in Jos to file an order of Mandamus against Aondoakaa. The order is to compel the AGF to disclose to the state all the monies recovered from Dariye and his associates from criminal proceedings against them in the United Kingdom.

The Minister of Justice, Aondoakaa, was said to have travelled abroad when our correspondent visited his office on Wednesday to get his reaction. His aides said they could only respond after getting his briefing on the issue.