A former commissioner for commerce and industry who served in the immediate past administration of the Poeple’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State, Miss Helen Maina was said to have absconded from the country soon after the end of the Jang administration.
The former commissioner was alleged to have taken an overdraft of the sum of N33 million with only three month to the expiration of the last administration in May 2015.
The bank overdraft was obtained in February 2015.
Miss Helen Maina is said to have absconded to Belgium after a fraudulent overdraft transaction of a N33 million at the instances of Plateau Investment Properties Company (PIPC).
A witness from the Plateau Investment and Properties Company (PIPC) Mr. Joshua Kimpuk, disclosed this while testifying before the judicial commission of sitting at Dadin Kowa Youth Center Jos yesterday.
Mr Kimpuk, who is the Manager Legal Services in PIPC) told the commission, “I have here with me a file: “PIPC/Fraud N33 million” as evidence of what I’m going to say. The file contain all details of the fraudulent activities carried out by the former Commissioner including police invitations and investigative report by the Police which proved that the N33 million was transfer from PIPC’s account to a private account and was later taken to the house of the former Commissioner”
Mr. Kimpuk added that, “PIPC has nothing to do with Kero-Direct scheme it is a scandal in the name of PIPC, the scheme was initiated by the Ministry of Commerce and implemented by the same Ministry, we were earlier been driven out of PIPC office by Security personnel who came in 3 Hilux vehicles on one faithful day and locked the building and all of us were later deployed to the office of Head of Service without any explanations.
“PIPC was left without a staff until our return to the office in November 2015 and we realised that an overdraft of N33 million was made in February 2015 on behalf of the agency (PIPC) in a Union Bank PLC account, the facilities was sign by the acting Director of Finance and Supply Mr. Mahannan Gyes and Mr. Silas Liman the former Managing Director respectively,” he said.
The Manager Legal Services maintained that the matter was before the Plateau State Police Command and the former Managing Director of the Agency, Mr. Silas Liman and the then Director of Finance and Supply Mr. Mahannan Gyes were invited by the Police for investigation, “But efforts were made for the former Commissioner Miss. Helen Maina to make herself available before the Police Command all proved abortive and she absconded to Belgium, ” he said.
But the accused person Mr. Mahannan Gyes said “The sum total of N33 million was used for kero-direct scheme as a result of a subsidised sells of Kerosene by NNPC to the then government where the sum of N27 million was paid to Mack-Essence company for the procurement of the kerosene while N5 million was used for the payments of fees”.
He also stated that he acted based on the directives given to him by his superior and denied that the transfer of the said amount in question was not made to any private account, though the former Managing Director Mr. Silas Liman was not on ground before the Commission to explained for himself.
However, Chairman of the Commission; Justice Stephen Adah has ordered the accused person to put his position in writing to the Commission.
The commission also ordered the panel write the former Commissioner and former Managing Director of the agency to made themselves available before the Commission for fair hearing.
The matter has been adjourned till today 2nd November, 2016 for the continuation of hearing.
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