Attorney-General's letter to Plateau State Speaker

Following the briefing to you and your colleagues on 8th November, 2004, I write to formally inform you of the allegations of criminal offences levelled against Governor Joshua Dariye by the British Government.

THE FACTS

The facts are that on 20th January, 2004, while conducting a search at 127 Chiltern House, Portland St, London SE17, in connection with a suspected case of theft of computer equipment via internet purchase, the Metropolitan Police found £11,560.00 (Eleven thousand, five hundred and sixty pound) in a locked briefcase.

2. The said sum was claimed by one Christopher MEKWUNYE who asserted that Joshua DARIYE gave him the money to deposit into his account with Barclays Bank, London.

3. The search revealed documents including a Barclays Bank statement (Ace. No. 701970410) in the name of Joshua Chibi DARIYE with an address of Flat 28, Regents Plaza apartments, 8 Greville Road, London NW6. The statement showed a one off credit of £918,029.00 (Nine hundred and eighteen thousand, twenty nine pounds) transferred in on 27th August, 2002.

4. Subsequent search of DARIYE’s address yielded financial documents indicating that he also banked with National Westminster Bank Plc and held a Barclay card.

5. Enquiries with these banks have shown that he operates two (2) accounts with Barclays Bank with balances of £826,493.50 and £46,057.15p, respectively. Similarly, he operates two (2) accounts with National Westminster Plc with balances of £175,000.00 and $80,000.00.

6. In all, DARIYE is known to operate eight (8) UK Bank accounts, seven (7) of which are sterling accounts while one (1) is a dollar account.

7. On 2nd September, 2004 DARIYE was arrested in his Marriot Hotel room in London by the Metropolitan Police. Various amounts of money in different currencies totalling well over £90,000;00 were recovered from him. DARIYE was taken to the Marylebone Police Station, Central London and interviewed in the presence of his solicitor.

8. In a wide ranging interview, DARIYE admitted ownership of the accounts as well as his failure to declare the said accounts in the assets declaration form he deposed to after assuming office as Governor of Plateau State.

9. Even though he denied owning any property in London, inquiries have, however, shown that DARIYE bought the property known as Flat 28, Regents Plaza Apartments, 8 Greville Road, London NW6 in September, 2001 for £395,000.00 under the assumed name of Joseph DAGWAN.

10. Dariye had told the Police in London that the said property belongs to a friend living in Jos, Nigeria, named Joseph DAGWAN, the Metropolitan Police raided the property on 22nd September, 2004 and found clear evidence that the place is inhabited by family members of DARIYE. While the Police were still in the premises, DARIYE came in. A search conducted in the house yielded cash and cheques totalling well over £100,000 belonging to DARIYE.

11. Investigations conducted in Nigeria have revealed that the property at No.8 Greville Road was paid for by Dariye in September 2001 through one Babatunde Lucky OMOLUWA, the Managing Director of Pinnacle Communications Limited. OMOLUWA had in a statement he made on 3rd September, 2004 admitted that Dariye paid him the naira equivalent of £365,000 and instructed him to transfer the sterling amount to an account owned by one Joyce Oyebanjo (Mrs), a long standing friend and financial facilitator of Dariye living in London. OMOLUWA also stated that, he did not feel comfortable transferring the money into Oyebanjo’s account. Instead, he transferred same into the account of Rowberry Morris, a firm of solicitors which handled the purchase of the property for DARIYE in the assumed name of Joseph DAGWAN.

12. In all, a total of about £300,000.00 (Three hundred thousand pounds) belonging to DARIYE have been confiscated by the Police and paid into an interest yielding account operated by the Metropolitan Police.

13. Enquiries conducted in Nigeria indicate that DARIYE has extensive real estate holdings at prime locations in Jos and Abuja including the following which he failed to declare in his Assets Declaration forms in 1999 and 2003:

(i) Yelwa Club, Bukuru, Jos;

(ii) Residential Building near Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Staff Quarters, Maitama, Abuja;

(iii) Residential Building at Ebenezer Close, Asokoro, Abuja;

(iv) Undeveloped expanse of Land at Aminu Kana Crescent, Opposite Maitama District Hospital, Abuja;

(v) Building at Wuse II, Off Aminu Kana Crescent, Opposite BPE Office, Abuja.

Following investigations by the British Police, it has been established that the foregoing facts disclose the following offences, among others, under British Law:

Money laundering, and economic crimes.

Back home, under Nigerian law the facts disclose the following violations, among others:

(i)money laundering contrary to Section 14 (1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.

(ii) Illegal transaction in foreign exchange contrary to Section 29 of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring etc) Act, 1995.

(iii) False Declaration contrary to Section 164 of the Penal Code.

(iv) False Declaration contrary to Section 25(1 ) of The Corrupt Practices etc Act.

(v) False Declaration contrary to Section 11 (1) and (2) of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers contained in the 5th Schedule to the 1999 Constitution.

(ix) Maintaining foreign bank accounts contrary to Section 3 of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers contained in the 5th Schedule to the 1999 Constitution.

It is my hope the foregoing sufficiently expatiates the various violations by Governor Joshua Dariye. Should there be need for any clarification, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.

Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration and personal esteem.

CHIEF AKINLOLU OLUJINMI, S.A.N.

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

Read the reply from the speaker to this letter......