SAN FRANCISCO, NOvember 16, (THEWILL) – The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reduced the jail term of a former Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye to 10 years.
THEWILL recalls that Dariye, a serving senator, was in June sentenced to 14 years in prison by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Gudu, Abuja, presided by Justice Adebukola Banjoko, on charges of criminal breach of trust and criminal appropriation of the state’s funds.
The ex-governor was convicted on 15 out the 23 counts preferred against him by the EFCC in July 2007.
However, the appeal court on Friday said while the conviction was right, the former governor should have been jailed for 10 years.
The court reduced the sentence of 14 years to 10 years for criminal breach of trust while a similar conviction for diversion of N1. 62 billion ecological funds was reduced from two years to one year.
The sentences are to run concurrently, like the previous judgement in June, meaning Dariye has now been effectively jailed 10 years.
The appeal court ruled that the lower court erred in law when it sentenced Dariye, a first time offender, to the maximum 14 years term contained in the charge against him.
According to the court, the sentence was handed down in the season of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act which does not allow maximum sentence for first time offenders.
