ANTI-CORRUPTION: Yerima Appears In Court Over Alleged N1 billion Fraud, Granted Bail

Alhaji Sani Yerima

Former governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Sani Yerima was on Thursday arraigned before the Gusau High Court for misappropriation of over N1 billion while in office in 2006 by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC.

The News Agency of Nigeria stated that the embattled governor is standing trial on 19-count charge bothering on misappropriation of funds which is punishable under section 25 (1) (a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Act 2000.

According to ICPC, the former governor in conjunction with Alhaji Hashim Dikko and two companies; Development Management Limited and HAD Nigeria Limited misappropriated the money which was a bank loan earmarked for the repair of the collapsed Gusau Dam and the compensations meant for the victims of the incident.

The suspects who also were accused of misappropriation and over inflation of the contract sum far above its sum normal sum which runs in millions of naira pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The principal counsel to the accused, Mr. Mahmoud Abubakar pleaded the court to grant the accused bail on ground of self-recognition assuring that they would not jump bail if granted by the court.    

After taking the submissions from both counsels, Justice Bello Shinkafi granted bail to each of the accused persons in the sum of N100 million and two sureties in like sum.

In addition, Shinkafi ruled that each of the sureties must own landed properties worth N150 million and must be resident in Gusau, and finally adjourned the case to February 29 and March 1 2016 for hearing.

However, Yerima while speaking to the journalists after the court session accused his political opponents of fighting him adding that he is confident that justice would prevail at the end.