Jonah Jang: EFCC grills ex-Plateau governor for 10 hours over N10bn 'fraud'

Jang was accused of pocketing N2 billion released by the CBN for the Small and Medium Enterprises and for siphoning N6.1bn from SUBEB among others.

Ex-Plateau governor, Jonah Jang was reportedly questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for several hours on Tuesday, January 16, 2018.

Jang, who is now a senator and represents Plateau-North Senatorial District, is being investigated for alleged N10 billion fraud.

He was said to have arrived the EFCC Abuja office at about 10am and was released around 8pm.

An EFCC source told Punch that "Senator Jang honoured an invitation on Tuesday. He arrived in the morning and was released around 8pm. He was asked to return on Wednesday (today)."

It was gathered that there have a series of petitions written against Jang, who was governor from 2007 to 2015.

The current Plateau State Government led by Simon Lalong is said to be one of the petitioners.

Lalong's administration alleged that the Jang embezzled some special funds released to the state by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

It accused the ex-governor of pocketing N2 billion released by the CBN for the Small and Medium Enterprises.

The fund allegedly went missing just a month before the expiration of Jang's tenure in April 2015.

The EFCC is also investigating a suspicious contract of the computerisation of the Ministry of Finance to a firm, Nix Technologies, for N97, 925, 000 by the ministry.

It was alleged that the money was paid twice for the same contract.

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The Jang administration was also accused of siphoning N6.1 billion from the State Universal Basic Education Board, the state’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

Further allegation said "Jang collected N982, 526451.02 from the Plateau State Government using a front company, Darmatist Consult, for a purported, non-existent recovery of N7.56bn from Nasarawa State. The money was paid to Darmatist as a consultancy fee."

Jang, however, denied all the allegations against him, saying he meritoriously served the people of Plateau State.

A statement issued  by his Senior Legislative Aide, Mr. Olivia Dazyam, said the ex-governor honoured the EFCC invitation to give account of his stewardship.

posted by Campus94