The Economic and Financial Crime Commission on Monday re-arraigned ex-Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang and an ex-cashier in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government Yusuf Pam before the Plateau State High Court on N6.3bn fraud charges.
The anti-corruption body first arraigned the duo before Justice Daniel Longji on 17 counts bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public money in March 2018.
However, Justice Longji retired in December last year after hearing the matter for 34 times.
In his last hearing, the judge dismissed the duo’s no-case-submission, ruling that they had a case to answer.
The EFCC re-arraigned Jang and Pam following the reassignment of the case to Justice Christy Dabup.
At the commencement of the hearing on Monday, lawyer for the EFCC, Mr O. A. Atolabe, lamented that the case had to start afresh after closing their case when Justice Longji was in charge.
However, he told Justice Dabup that the EFCC would call 12 witnesses and applied for the 17 counts to be read afresh to the two accused, which was granted.
Counsel for Jang, Edward Pwajok (SAN), who had maintained that his client, a retired military officer, had no case to answer, did not oppose the application.
The accused pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to them.
Justice Dabup allowed the defendants to continue on the N200m and N100m bail earlier granted them by Justice Longji and adjourned the case till May 26, 27 and 28.
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