You have no case here, court tells EFCC after dismissing 19 of 21 cases against ex-Gov Goje

Following apparent failures of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prove some of the charges it leveled against Senator Danjuma Goje, 19 out of the 21 fraud charges have been dismissed.

The charges relating to a N5 billion alleged fraud leveled against the lawmaker were on Friday dismissed by a Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State.

Goje, also a former governor of Gombe State, is now left to answer for only two charges preferred against him by the anti-graft agency alongside three other accused persons.

The charges bordered on conspiracy, money laundering and embezzlement of funds belonging to the state government, all amounting to about N5 billion.

The offences bother on fraudulent supply of food items to government house and public auction of government vehicles.

EFCC claimed that the former governor forged a resolution of the House of Assembly to collect N5 billion loan from Access Bank while he was the governor between 2003 and 2011.

EFCC counsel, Wahab Shittu, closed his case against the defendants on May 31, 2018 after calling 24 witnesses and tendering several documents to prove the accused committed the offences leveled against them.

On September 14, 2018 Goje’s counsel, Chris Uche (SAN), filed a “no-case” submission while the prosecution counsel urged the court to dismiss same.

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However, when the matter came up in Jos on Friday, Justice Babatunde Quadri expressed worries that after carefully examined the evidence laid down by the prosecution before the court, “it is clear that the prosecution failed to prove the ingredients of the offences as charged in counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 19 and 21 which bordered on diversion, money laundering and misappropriation of funds,” he said.

After dismissing the 19 charges, he ordered the defence to open its defence on the matter on May 8, 2019, the next adjourned date.

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