The Governor of Nigeria’s Plateau state, who faced money-laundering charges, has resumed work after five months in hiding following a Supreme Court order for his reinstatement, private television channels said on Monday.
Joshua Dariye was removed from office by a faction in the central state’s legislature late last year after fleeing from London where he was indicted on money-laundering charges.
The British court had heard that Dariye used to spend tens of thousands of pounds of state funds on private school fees, paid air-ambulance bills for his friends, and pocketed about £200 000 of ”cleaned-up cash” during one of his several holidays to London.
But Nigeria’s highest court last Friday ruled that the legislators did not have the necessary quorum to impeach the governor.
Dariye disappeared on the eve of his impeachment and his whereabouts were unknown until Sunday when he emerged in the Plateau state city of Jos to make a broadcast, Channels said.
Dariye’s term in office expires on May 29 when a new governor will be sworn in after Nigeria’s provincial elections.
When Dariye was arrested in 2004 in London, £1-million was found in his hotel room. He was briefly detained and then granted bail, but fled London to escape trial.
Several governors have been sacked for graft since 1999 when Nigeria returned to civil rule, while 31 out of the nation’s 36 governors have been investigated for corruption by the national Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Commission head Nuuhu Ribadu has said those charged will face trial after leaving office on May 29 when they lose their immunity and become ordinary citizens. — Sapa-AFP