Yahaya Bello’s alleged N110bn fraud trial adjourned till November 12
The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, located in Maitama, has postponed further proceedings regarding the 16-count money laundering case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against the former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, until November 12.The adjournment followed the testimony of the anti-graft agency's sixth witness before trial Justice Maryann Anenih.
During her Evidence-in-Chief, Ms. Victoria Oluwafemi, a Compliance Officer at Polaris Bank, informed the court that as of November 2021, the total credit amount in the Kogi State Government House Account was N450 million.
The witness noted that records of inflows into the account indicated that funds were deposited by various individuals and then withdrawn in increments of N10 million.
While being cross-examined by ex-governor Bello's attorney, Mr. J. B. Daudu, SAN, she acknowledged that she was not the account officer for two accounts that the state maintained with her bank.
Moreover, she indicated that because she was neither the account officer nor the relationship manager, she was unable to clarify how transactions on those accounts were executed. The witness also stated that the name of Bello's co-defendant, Abdulsalam Hudu, did not appear in the bank documentation.
Meanwhile, the defendants contested the EFCC's attempt to present certain documents through the sixth witness, Msheila Arhyel B, who had been compelled to testify before the court.
Daudu, SAN, argued in court that he had not finished cross-examining the same witness at the Federal High Court where ex-governor Bello faces a similar charge. However, his argument was rejected by Justice Anenih, who determined that the proceedings in her court could not be linked to a trial in a different court.
In his opposition, Bello's lawyer maintained that the documents the prosecution sought to submit against his client did not satisfy the admissibility criteria stipulated in sections 83 and 84 of the Evidence Act. Conversely, the prosecution's attorney, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, urged the court to disregard the objection and permit the documents to be entered into evidence.
The document in question, which was a 218-page account statement belonging to the firm Alusha Services and signed by PW-6, was accepted as evidence and labeled as Exhibit P1.
The witness also informed the court that funds had frequently been withdrawn from the account in increments of N10 million. He stated that prior to 2023, there was no strict limit on withdrawals as long as the amount indicated on the cheque did not exceed N10 million.
When asked to review transactions that occurred on the account between February 22 and 25, as well as on March 3, 2016, and May 6, 2022, the witness confirmed multiple withdrawals of N10 million each.
He revealed that the total transactions, which reached approximately N707,267,000.00 by January 32, 2018, were within the bank's approved withdrawal limits.
The witness also confirmed that a sum of $2,500 was deposited on May 6, 2022, into the account of Aleshua Solutions Services by an individual named B. O. Rosemary Chukwuma.
He detailed additional foreign transfers, stating: “The second is a transfer in favor of Yau for $5,000. The third is also a cash transfer of $5,000 to Yau.”
The witness further corroborated specific transactions from December 2016 involving the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, totaling N202 million. Justice Anenih has rescheduled the matter for the continuation of the cross-examination of the sixth witness.
Leave A Comment