FORMER Governor of Gombe State, Danjuma Goje, has been arraigned before a Federal High Court in Gombe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an 18-count charge of looting the treasury and official misconduct.Counsel to the EFCC, Wahab Shittu, told the court that bail application for Goje and four others arraigned over the charges bordering on abuse of office; awarding contracts without budget provision and obtaining by false pretence and misappropriation to the tune of N52 billion, should not be heard since he had brought an application before the court seeking the quashing of the charges against him.But counsel to Goje and his co-accused, Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), had asked the court to quash the charges preferred against them and the others.Also yesterday, the EFCC told the Federal High Court, Abuja that former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, has a case to answer in the N9 billion fraud charges it levelled against him.The commission also asked the court to dismiss the two applications filed by Bankole that the charges be quashed and Festus Keyamo disqualified from prosecuting the case.Bankole is standing trial on a 16-count charge of contract inflation and embezzlement of public funds totalling N9 billion.The court case is being heard by Justice Donatus Okorowa.Bankole's offences, according to EFCC, arein breach of certain sections of the Procurement Act.Keyamo, who is EFCC's counsel, urged the court to dismiss the two motions brought by Bankole's lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, (SAN).Keyamo said sections 57 and 58 of the Procurement Act clearly emphasizedthat'all other parties' other than those mentioned such as contractor and procurement officers, can be prosecuted within that provision.'Bankole had on June 13 and July 26, 2011 filed two motions asking the court to quash the case against him on the ground that the proof of evidence did not disclose any shred of criminality against him and on another ground that Keyamo should be disqualified from prosecuting the case as he had through his antecedents, shown that he is biased and impartial towards the accused person.Awomolo in his submissions, posited that under section 58(4a) of the Public Procurement Act, offences could only be committed by specified persons namely contractors, suppliers and procurement officers and that Bankole is none of the aforementioned.On the demand for Keyamo's disqualification, Awomolo said the office of prosecution is a public institution set up to promote justice.The other four accused personsarraigned with Goje are Alhaji Sabo Mohammed Tum, former Government House food Supplier, Aliyu Ubadone El-Nafaty, former Executive Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board, S. M. Dokoro, proprietor of S. M. Dokoro and M. Dokoro Gombe.The five accused persons were docked before Justice Babatunde Quadri.
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