The former Accountant General of Bauchi State, Alhaji Yusuf Ibrahim Gokaru has been sentenced to one year imprisonment with an option of fine.
The conviction was secured by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Gombe Zonal office on Wednesday before Justice Muazu Abubakar of the Bauchi State High Court.
The anti-graft agency has been prosecuting him on charges bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, concealment of the source and origin of the money of the sum of N108,363,200.
He converted the money to his personal use throug his office.
He was to have diverted the money from the World Bank assistance to Bauchi State Government under the State Education Programme Investment Project (SEPIP) by transferring the money from Bauchi State Consolidated naira Account domiciled at Polaris Bank to a Unity Bank account.
EFCC’s Prosecuting Counsel, said, it is 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.
Midway into the prosecution, N31 million
was recovered from the defendant and was tendered as exhibit in Court.
However, 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 the trial presented witnesses and tendered documents which were admitted in evidence.
When the case came up on Wednesday, the defendant changed his plea and pleaded “guilty” as charged.
Consequently, the judge pronounced him guilty and sentenced Gokaru to one-year imprisonment with an option of fine.
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.
