A witness and former Auditor-General of Katsina state, Alhaji Ibrahim Dabo Bindawa, has told Justice Maikata Ibrahim Bako of the state High Court that he did not see the appropriation laws of the state between 2012 and 2014 before his committee came up with a report indicting former Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of financial impropriety.
The state government had set up a committee to investigate thefinances of the state under former Governor Shema.
The committee was expected to investigate loss of government funds and property.
Bindawa, who printed posters to contest the 2015 governorship election against Governor Aminu Bello Masari, but later stepped down,in his evidence before the court, said he was aware that the House of Assembly “is saddled with the responsibilities of making financial appropriation laws for the state but have not seen the laws between 2012 and 2014.”
While under cross-examination, he said apart from allowances that were paid to them, no other member of the committee got money for the work they did for the state in serving on that committee.
But when asked by the team of lawyers of Dr. Shema, led by Chief Joseph Daudu, that some of the members who served on the committee had been rewarded with political appointments by the governor, he said he was not aware.
Bindawa, who admitted that he personally investigated the finances of the state, said some vouchers were with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but did not bother to request for the documents from the Commission before coming up with its report.
“I said that some vouchers are with the EFCC. The Director of Finance in the ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs did not give us the details of the vouchers.
“The vouchers with the EFCC are very important to our work. I did not write the EFCC to request for the vouchers,” he said.
Shema, who was governor of the state between 2007 and 2015 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is being tried alongside three others, Sani Makana, Lawal Safana and Ibrahim Dankaba.
A seven-man commission of inquiry led by Justice Muhammed Sirajo had accused Shema’s administration of embezzling N11 billion belonging to the 34 local government councils of the state.
