A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced a retired Director of Finance and Administration at the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Garuba Mohammed Duku, to 24 years imprisonment for diverting public funds totalling ₦318 million.
The judge, James Omotosho, who presided over the case, found Duku guilty on six counts of corruption and money laundering, as charged by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022.
According to the anti-graft agency, investigations showed that between 2012 and 2013, Duku diverted ₦318,250,000 belonging to the AMMC into his personal account at Fidelity Bank Plc.
The ICPC stated that the funds were released in several tranches, including ₦56.25 million, ₦71 million, ₦53 million, ₦54 million, ₦46 million, and ₦36.3 million, and were later converted through Bureau de Change operators for purposes not authorised by government regulations.
The ICPC said its investigators established that the method adopted for the release and withdrawal of the funds was fraudulent and in breach of public financial rules.
During the trial, Duku claimed that the money was disbursed to his superiors, but the court dismissed the argument after he failed to produce any evidence to support it.
Delivering judgment on October 2, Omotosho ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, stating that the “totality of evidence and witness testimonies presented by the Commission clearly established the guilt of the defendant.”
The judge sentenced Duku to four years’ imprisonment on each of the six counts, with the jail terms to run concurrently. He also gave the convict an option of a fine equivalent to five times the amount stated in each count, totalling about ₦1.6 billion.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 9, after the ruling, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare described the conviction as proof of the Commission’s determination to ensure accountability in public service.
“This conviction underscores ICPC’s unwavering commitment to holding public officers accountable and ensuring that those who betray public trust through corrupt practices are brought to justice,” Bakare said.
The Commission added that the outcome demonstrates its resolve to use the courts to recover stolen public assets and deter financial misconduct among government officials.
A reporter with the ICIR
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