By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – A former Accountant General of Bauchi State, Yusuf Ibrahim Gokaru, has been sentenced to one year in prison for obtaining money by false pretence and concealment of the source and origin of the money.
He was sentenced by Justice Muazu Abubakar of the Bauchi State High Court on Wednesday, April 7, 2021.
Justice Abubakar also ordered the convict to pay the sum of Seventy-seven Million Naira (N77m) as restitution to Bauchi State Government within one year.
The conviction was secured by thr Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Gombe Zonal office.
A statement issued by the spokesman of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, explained that Gokaru’s troubles began in August 2019 when the Bauchi State Government, in a petition to the Commission, alleged that the convict abused his office as Accountant General and obtained the sum of One Hundred and Eight Million, Three Hundred and Sixty Three Thousand, Two Hundred Naira Only. (N108, 363, 200) for personal use.
The money, the statement said, was diverted from the World Bank assistance to Bauchi State Government under the State Education Programme Investment Project, SEPIP.
According to Uwujaren, the defendant transferred the money from Bauchi State Consolidated Naira Account domiciled at Polaris Bank to a Unity Bank account, an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.
It stated that in the course of investigation, Thirty One Million Naira (N31m) was recovered from the defendant but upon arraignment on March 13, 2020, he pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him, setting the stage for trial.
The prosecution counsel, A.Y Muntaka, in the course of trial presented witnesses and tendered documents which were admitted in evidence.
However, when the case come up Wednesday, April 7, the defendant changed his plea and pleaded “guilty” as charged.
Consequently, the judge pronounced him guilty and sentenced him to one year imprisonment with an option of fine.