Allowances. According to him, all Allowances given to him have Records and
could be computed.
The Defendant stated that he usually directed Several Funds which were his
Dispensation varying from Two to Thirty Million Naira from the Government
House in Jalingo to the Taraba State Liaison Office, depending on what it was
used for. He did not know the details except that the Funds were dutifully
and properly given to him and added that he did not write it down.
He described the Governor’s Lodge and stated that his allowances as
Governor were more than Three Million Naira (N 3, 000, 000.00). He could
not remember telling Mr. Bubajoda to pay the Sum of Ten Million Naira in
cash to his Account. His Bank Statements including the Account Opening
Packages were admitted as Exhibit SS. He was shown various huge Sums of
Money Lodgments of Cash paid into his Account by one Mr. Aminu and he
acknowledged that ALL his Salaries and Entitlements were paid into the
Account contained in Exhibit SS.
Therefore, there is a presumption that his Allowances and Entitlements
were paid into this Account. The Question that must be asked now is how
possible could it be for the Defendant to request his entitlements to be sent
to the Abuja Liaison Office when there is a Presumption that the Account in
Exhibit SS was his Private Account. The Permanent Secretary of
Government House could not possibly have access into his Personal Account.
The Court can see from Page 10 of Exhibit SS that the Defendant had a
relationship with Mr. Bubajoda as he severally deposited Funds into his
Account, and as regards the other Depositors, he could not remember who
some of them were.
Also tendered into evidence, was Exhibit TT the Defendant’s Bank
Statement from Standard Trust Bank, now United Bank of Africa. Relating to
Government Expenditure during his Tenure, he was shown Exhibit NN1 to
NN3, the Published Accounts of Taraba State Government and Exhibit OO1,
where his attention was drawn to the fact that in Year 2005, the Budget
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