N10bn fraud: Yahaya Bello nephew’s trial resumes July 15

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, adjourned to July 15, the trial of the Chief of Staff to the Kogi State Governor, Ali Bello, and his co-defendant, Dauda Sulaiman, in an amended money laundering charge.

The charge was instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The defendant, who is a nephew of the immediate-past governor of the state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja over his alleged complicity in the diversion of over N10bn from the state’s treasury.

He is facing trial alongside Sulaiman, while the anti-graft agency told the court that others involved in the alleged fraud and money laundering, including one Abdulsalami Hudu, the cashier of Kogi State House Administration, were at large.

Equally listed to be at large in the amended charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/550/2022, was ex-Governor Bello who had since been declared wanted by the anti-graft commission.

At Thursday’s sitting, a witness of the EFCC and staff member of Access Bank, Olom Egoro, was cross-examined by the counsel for Bello, Abubakar Aliyu (SAN).

During the cross-examination, the witness admitted to the court that there was no lodgement or withdrawal linked to Bello in the exhibit before him.

He said those working in the compliance unit of the bank were not the ones running and maintaining the servers of the bank, from where information on bank transactions was generated.

He added that it was the duty of the bank’s ICT Department to manage the servers.

Counsel for the second defendant, Olusegun Jolaawo (SAN), equally cross-examined the witness.

After the defence counsel completed their cross-examination, Justice Omotosho discharged Egoro from the witness box and adjourned the matter until July 15 and 16 for the continuation of the trial.

At the previous sitting on May 6, the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), presented Egoro, who works with the Compliance Unit of Access Bank as the sixth prosecution witness in the case.

Egoro told the court that the EFCC, via a letter, requested the bank statements of the Kogi State Government House for the period of 2018 to 2021.

He said the commission also asked for other documents, including the account opening, mandate for the account and certificate of compliance in respect of the printouts.

The witness thereafter went through the statement of account detailing the various deposits into and withdrawals from the same via transfers and cash.

From his evidence, Egoro had said the withdrawals were N10m each in different tranches.

The witness, however, did not state who deposited the funds, what they were deposited for or who withdrew the same and for what purpose before concluding his testimony on the last adjourned date.