A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has sentenced a Taraba’s former governor to 14 years in prison without an option of fine.
Jolly Nyame was found guilty of 27 out of 41 counts of alleged diversion of public funds while he served as governor.
The EFCC prosecuted him for allegedly diverting N1.64 billion while he was iin office between 1999 to 2007.
Justice Adebukola Banjoko sentenced Nyame to four different terms in prison: receiving gratification, obtaining public funds without due consideration, criminal breach of trust and gratification.
Each attracts a term of prison for two, five, seven and 14 years respectively–and concurrently.
He will serve 14 years in jail unless the conviction is upturned by a higher court.
The judge narrated how several witnesses brought to court by both parties corroborated the allegation of fraud against the defendant.
The EFCC brought various witnesses who established that Nyame approved the diversion of various funds amounting to over N345 million to a company, Saman global, within five weeks in 2005, among other allegations.
Nyame denied he knew the company, but the court found him guilty of breaching public trust because the ex-governor confirmed approving the memo for the transfer of the funds.