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Nigeria: EFCC Arraigns Botmang, Ex-Plateau Governor
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This Day (Lagos)
19 July 2008
Posted to the web 19 July 2008
Dayo Thomas
Abuja
A Former governor of Plateau State, Mr. Michael Botmang, was yesterdays arraigned before an Abuja Federal High Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly misappropriating over N1.3 billion while in office.
The EFCC, in its charge sheet read in court, said Botmang at different times while he was governor of Plateau State, transferred amounts of money from the state coffers to his personal accounts totalling N1.3 billion.
The former governor was arraigned on a 31-count charge of fraud and for "concealing the illicit origin of the money" an offence, which contravenes the Money Laundering Prohibition Act of 2004.
According to the charge sheet, Botmang withdrew N250 million between December 5 and 7, 2006 and N69 million on March 9, 2007.
It added that the former governor, who took over the reigns of leadership in the state after Joshua Dariye was impeached in 2006, further withdrew N104 million on March 27, 2007, N48m on April 25, 2007 and N427m on April 30, 2007.
When the court register read the charges to him, Botmang pleaded not guilty. Counsel to the accused, Yarkasuwa Saleh, urged the court to grant him bail due to his multiple ailments.
Saleh said: "My client has to be granted bail because he has type II diabetes, hypertension, gout and chronic kidney disease, and he undergoes dialysis twice a week in his house."
Counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, did not object to Botmang's application for bail, concurring the accused "may not be able to withstand the pressure in the prison. We are aware of his health problems."
But the court refused Botmang's bail request and ordered that he be confined to his country home in Zawan, Jos South local government area of Plateau State because of his ill health.
Botmang was the Plateau State deputy governor before he was sworn in as governor of the state following the impeachment of Dariye on November 13, 2006 by state's House of Asse-mbly members who were coerced into doing so by the EFCC.
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He held that position until April 27, 2007 when the Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of Dariye with immediate effect.
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