Alleged N6.2bn fraud: Jang has no case – Lead counsel Ozekhome tells Court

Gyang Bere, Jos

The lead defence counsel to Senator Jonah Jang and former Governor of Plateau State in the alleged N6.2 billion misappropriation, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), told the court yesterday that he was going to make a no-case submission after all the witnesses and documents exonerated his client (Jang) from financial misdeeds.

Ozekhome said that no case has been established against Jang from A to Z and from Genesis to Revelation to warrant his client’s indictment by the court.

He told the court that they needed 14 days to write the formal no-case submission because of the volume of exhibits and documents tendered at the proceedings which they have to go through.

The witness, PW9, Mr. Nanman Abok, who forced the court to adjourn the other time because of his ill-health, was present live in court yesterday. The defence had earlier rejected PW3, saying that it was PW9 they needed.

With the PW9 present and taken through all the documents and exhibits concerning him and his office as the Principal Administrative Officer in the government, he exonerated Jang from financial misappropriation.

Taking him round exhibits 47, 48, 49 and 50, Abok said there was no time the governor approved money to be expended in the state which he said approval was done by possibly the Deputy Governor, Senator Ignatius Longjan during their tenure on behalf of the government of the day, adding that those monies were deliberated upon at the State House of Assembly after which they were approved and passed into law.

He said, through cross examination by Ozekhome that the governor thereafter was now free to expend the monies so approved and passed into law by the House.

Abok, under cross-examination, told the court that with the approval by the House, the governor was now empowered to use the monies including other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), adding that the governor did not need to go back to the House again when he wanted to pay salaries.

The officer whose tenure extended from that of Jang to that of the present Governor Simon Lalong, said that Jang was number one, Longjan while Mrs. Olivia Dazyam, the then Attorney – General of the state was number three in the minutes of a meeting held on December 18, 2014.

He also disclosed that Exhibit PA page 6 which involved N220billion Micro-Small and Medium Entreprises MOU was signed by Longjan for the state while the CBN Governor Geoffrey Emefiele signed for the bank.

Before adjourning the matter to December 17, for adoption in the no – case submission which the defence counsel of Yusuf Pam, Mr. Samuel Adeniyi Oguntuyi, associated himself with, the trial judge, Mr. Justice Daniel Longji granted the first and second defendants 14 days to file the no – case submission while the prosecution was given 10 days to file composite response.

Ozekhome’s companion in the case, Mr. Edward Pwajok (SAN) while speaking with journalists later, said that all the funds that are in issues in the case are all government to government borrowing which are all permitted by law, and permitted by the executive council.

Distinguishing virement and borrowing, taking leave from the witness, Pwajok said virement has to go to the House of Assembly and internal borrowing also has to go to the Assembly.

“Today, the court has given us time. It has been adjourned to December 17. We have been given 14 days to file our no – case submission because our position is that there is no evidence before this court to link the former governor, Senator David Jonah Jang, with the commission of any of those offences as listed in the 17 counts.

“So, when you see our address, you will now know that, truly the former governor is innocent of all the changes.”

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Alleged N6.2bn fraud: Jang has no case – Lead counsel Ozekhome tells Court