A prosecution witness in the alleged N80.2 billion money laundering case against former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has said he had no evidence that the school fees paid into the account of the American International School, Abuja (AISA) for Bello’s children emanated from either the state’s account or that of any local government.
The prosecution witness, Nicholas Ojehomon, an Internal Auditor at AISA, said this yesterday during the resumed hearing in the case before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Ojehomon, the third prosecution witness, who was cross-examined by Bello’s lawyer, Joseph Daudu (SAN), looked through the account statement of his school and said neither the names of any of the local governments in the state nor Bello’s appeared in the document.
Asked if other parents paid school fees into AISA bank account, the witness said: “Yes, I confirm other parents pay into the account.”
Read Also: Why I will not step down over Natasha’s sexual allegations, by Akpabio
He also said the names of the parents who pay directly into the school’s account reflect in the statement of account.
In a ruling earlier, Justice Nwite had rejected the objection of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the defendant’s move to tender a judgment of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the school fees issue.
The matter is in suit number: FCT/HC/CV/2574/2023 between Ali Bello and Incorporated Trustees of American International School.
The judge held that the EFCC’s objection was preemptive, adding that the admissibility of documents is strictly guided by law as far as it satisfies the provision of sections 102 and 104 of the Evidence Act.
The judge listed the criteria to be considered to include “whether (or not) the facts are pleaded, whether the documents are relevant and whether the documents are admissible”.
He said it was glaring that the document sought to be tender in the case of Ali Bello Vs AISA was relevant to the fact in issue.
Justice Nwite said the same document was a certified true copy (CTC) of a judgment of the FCT High Court instituted by Ali Bello.
The judge said the court was inclined to agree with the defendant’s lawyer that the prosecuting lawyer’s argument was preemptive.
He said: “Consequently, the argument of the prosecution that the defence cannot present the document is hereby discountenanced.”
“…The objection of the prosecution is indeed preemptive. Consequently, the objection of the learned counsel to the prosecution is hereby overruled,” he said.
Justice Nwite admitted the document in evidence and marked it as Exhibit 19.
At the resumption of trial, the witness told the court that he had worked for eight years in the school and was employed as an internal auditor.
Further hearing in the case will resume today.