Former Governor of Adamawa State, Mr. Boni Haruna, has faulted a report that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, prosecuted him for allegedly embezzling or misappropriating N93 billion during his tenure, saying he was prosecuted and acquitted for N52.5 million.
Arguably one of the best governors of the 1999-2007 class, Mr Haruna, a product of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, NIJ, Lagos, a Fellow of the Institute, and former Deputy Managing Director of now rested Theweek Magazine, was one of the few former governors who did not collect their security votes.
Insisting that it was impossible to misappropriate N93 billion when he governed Adamawa State, the former Youth Development minister said the entire Federal Allocation to Adamawa between May 1999 and May 2007 was N114 billion out of which N39 billion was spent on salaries and emoluments.
In the story titled: “Graft: How 58 ex-govs allegedly looted N2.187trillion,” Saturday Vanguard, based on published reports, chronicled former governors, who the “EFCC is probing, probed, investigated and prosecuted,” or “are having or have had brushes with EFCC and alleged amounts involved.”
The story also noted that “apart from being acquitted, a host of the former state’s helmsmen are claiming innocence of the allegations and accusing the EFCC of a political witch-hunt.
“However, former Governor Haruna kicked against “the humongous sum” attached to his name in the report, noting that a Federal High Court, Yola, had discharged and acquitted him of liability in N52.5 million criminal proceedings.
The EFCC had, among others, arraigned Mr Haruna and three others on a 28- count amended charge of conspiracy, forgery of bank accounts documents and altering of Guarantee Trust Bank documents, and paying the sums of N31.5 million and N21 million into an account of Guarantee Trust Bank allegedly operated by Boni Haruna with the intention to defraud the Government of Adamawa State.
However, in a judgment on January 16, 2014, Justice Balkisu Bello Aliyu acquitted the former governor, ruling: “On the whole, I find no prima facie case established against the 1st Defendant Boni Haruna and I discharge him accordingly. There is no vicarious liability in criminal proceedings.”
Lamenting that he was embarrassed and scandalised by the story, Haruna said: “A judgment was delivered in my favour 10 years ago. To the glory of God, I was appointed Minister of Youth Development in this country a few months after this judgment. My screening by the 8th Senate under Senate President David Mark was telecast live on all the major Television stations in the country.
“In the course of my screening, the Senate President asked me if there was anything I wanted to share with the Senate that was not in my CV. I told him that I had something to share with the Senate which was not in my CV.
“I shared my case of prosecution with the Senate and tendered a copy of the judgment. Before the same Senate, I revealed that it was curious that I was prosecuted because of about N52m when in my eight years as governor I refused to take the security vote, which has become fashionable for governors to take since the military era.
“The money I was being prosecuted for (about 52m) could have passed for my monthly security vote for 8 years which would have amounted to N4.9bn. These facts have been in the public domain. It might interest you to know that in my eight years in government, Adamawa State receipt from the Federation account was N114.8bn out of which about N39bn was spent on salaries, leave and transport grants, and other recurrent expenditures.
“How could I have embezzled N93bn out of a total receipt of about N114.8bn in eight years?”
Apology
In our lead story of Saturday March 4, 2024, titled, “Graft: How 58 exgovs allegedly looted N2.187 trillion,” we, based on published reports, chronicled former governors, who the “EFCC is probing, probed, investigated and prosecuted, and alleged amounts involved.”
We mistakenly reported N93 billion as the amount that former Governor of Adamawa State, His Excellency Boni Haruna, allegedly embezzled. We have since discovered that His Excellency Boni Haruna was prosecuted for alleged N52.5m fraud and was discharged and acquitted by a Federal High Court, Yola.
We, hereby, tender an unreserved apology to His Excellency Boni Haruna and assure him of our highest esteem always. The error is deeply regretted. — Editor(
Vanguard)
