An appeal court in Abuja has reduced former governor of Plateau state, Joshua Dariye’s jail term from 14 years to 10 years.
The appeal court who quashed count 23 because the persecution did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that the former governor diverted the funds of the state to purchase a house in London, held that the maximum sentence of 14 years for the counts was excessive especially because the appellant is a first-time offender.
The presiding judge, Justice Stephen Adah on Friday who reduced the charges in the counts to 10 years, while the terms with two years are reduced to one year each, also quashed the sentence in count 12 as he read the unanimous judgment of the three-man panel.
The panel held that the lower court which had earlier found the former Plateau State Governor not guilty for the charge, should not have sentenced him on the charge.
