The court yesterday granted an application filed by the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Edward Pwajok for an order of mandamus to compel the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Michael Aondokaa to perform his duties as the chief law officer of the federation in this regard.

Justice Stephen Adah granted the application for the action after listening to a former attorney general of the state, Mr. Yusufu Pam who argued the application on Pwajok’s behalf.

The application sought to compel Aondokaa to respond to every enquiry relating to monies said to have been recovered through criminal proceedings against the former governor and his associates in the United Kingdom.

It also wants him to get the British legal firm said to be acting on behalf of the Federal Government in the civil proceedings against Dariye  to account for all the monies so far recovered and for the Federal Government to release the one already repatriated to the state government.

Justice Adah in granting the application, ordered that the originating summons be properly served on the Aondokaa within 14 days and fixed November 11 for hearing of the substantive matter.
Pwajok had in an interview with Vanguard said every legal avenue would be explored to recover monies due to the state through such recoveries.

At the commemoration of this year’s International Day Against Corruption, he spoke against the manner the British lawyers were allegedly making arbitrary deductions from the recovered monies without the consent of the state describing it as unethical.

He vowed that the state would not pay the British lawyers until all the money illegally deducted were returned accusing them of insincerity and less than transparent in handling the matter.

“What came to Plateau on paper is about 400, 000 pounds but what transpired was unfortunate. What the British lawyers did was more than telling us that we are inferior.

Corruption should not be limited to government circle alone the fight against the canker worm should look beyond government; it also exists in private practice as exemplified by the conduct of the British lawyers”, he said on the occasion.

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