Revealed: Senator Dariye Gets N85.5m Allowances In Prison

Senator Joshua Dariye

Representative Joshua Dariye (APC-Plateau Central) is as yet accepting the N750, 000 pay and N13.5m month to month running expense from the National Assembly. 

Compact News discovered that a half year after his conviction by a Federal Capital Territory High Court, the previous Plateau representative was all the while accepting the stipends since his seat still couldn't seem to be proclaimed empty by the administration of the National Assembly. 

Dariye was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and indicted by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of a FCT High Court for stealing N1.162bn. 

He was in this manner condemned to 14 years in jail, yet his sentence was lessened to 10 years by the Court of Appeal which maintained his conviction a month ago. 

The ex-senator had even made a non-refundable installment of N8m for the All Progressives Congress' Senate frames however was screened out by the gathering in September. 

Talking with the Punch, an associate to Dariye, Christopher John, said the convict and his assistants were all the while accepting their full remittances. 

He said Dariye had requested his conviction at the Supreme Court and it would be out of line for his seat to be announced empty when he had not yet abused every single lawful channel. 

"He has just advanced the case; so he is as yet a representative pending the choice of the Supreme Court. 

"It is ideal for us to in any case be getting pay rates since his case has not finished. There are numerous different legislators having issues with the courts like Senator Attah Idoko from Kogi State. Judgment was given for AVM Isaac Alfa yet since Idoko has requested the case, he is as yet serving and going to sittings as a representative pending the result of the case. 

"Helpers should in any case be accepting compensation in light of the fact that Dariye is as yet a representative. Furthermore, he is as yet getting his stipends and will keep on doing as such until the point that the case is shut," John told Punch. 

While responding, the Director for Information at the National Assembly, Jerry Agada, said there was no court request or mandate from the Senate President to stop Dariye's pay thus it couldn't be ceased. 

Agada said it was workable for Dariye's compensation to be retained pending the result of the case in court yet the National Assembly Commission had no such powers to stop it. 

He stated, "The system of the National Assembly is that a man's seat must be proclaimed empty before he is never again a representative. In light of the most recent data we have, they said he had taken the issue to the Supreme Court. 

"All alone, we have no capacity to stop the pay or stipends of any congressperson whose situate has not been announced empty. Our expectation was that his compensation would be put on hold pending the result of the case however do we by any chance have such powers? 

"He remains a representative according to the law. It's anything but a matter of ethical quality now yet a matter of law. The ability to announce any seat empty lives in the Senate President or the Speaker."