Tag: Yahaya Bello

The lead lawyer to former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), has claimed that the trial of his client is political.

He also claimed that it has nothing to do with the money laundering charge filed against the ex-governor.

Daudu made the claims yesterday at the resumed hearing in Bello’s money laundering trial before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 19-count charge bordering on money laundering, breach of public trust, and misappropriation of public funds estimated at N80.2 billion.

Daudu was reacting to the remarks by the prosecuting lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), who alleged that what happened in the manner local government areas in Kogi State made payments was stealing by disguise.

In the course of the proceedings, the seventh prosecution witness (PW7), Olomotane Egoro (a Compliance Officer with Access Bank), said the defendant did not serve as a Local Government Chairman in any of the local governments in Kogi State.

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Egoro stated that the contracts for which payments were made were awarded by local government chairmen for various purposes to contractors, as shown in the statements of the bank accounts of some companies tendered and admitted as exhibits by the court.

The witness, who spoke when Daudu cross-examined him, stated that there was no mention of the defendant’s name in any of the local government transactions under investigation.

Looking through the bank statements, the witness said the name, Yahaya Bello, did not appear, either as a sender or a recipient of local governments’ funds.

He confirmed that on the face of Exhibit 33(11), the entries in the transactions between the local governments and Keyless Nature Limited were consistent with normal banking transactions.

Egoro denied knowing the purpose for which all the payments were made, maintaining that he did not know, from the bank statements, whether there was any business or contractual relationship between the local governments and a firm, Keyless Nature Limited.

The witness also stated that a customer has the right to spend his money any way he likes unless there is an issue of fraud.

Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has got the nod of a Federal High Court in Abuja to travel to Makkah in Saudi Arabia for the lesser hajj (Umrah) to observe the last 10 days of Ramadan.

Justice Emeka Nwite granted the permission in a ruling yesterday on an application moved by Bello’s lawyer, Joseph Daudu (SAN), at the resumed hearing in his ongoing money laundering trial.

The prosecuting lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), did not oppose the application.

Justice Nwite also ordered the temporary release of Bello’s international passports to enable him embark on the trip expected to last between February 18 and March 19.

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Explaining why he needed to embark on the holy trip, Bello said: “As said by my defence counsel, I have not travelled outside this country in the last eight years.

“I would have loved to spend the whole of Ramadan in Makkah and to observe Sittatun (six days of) Shawal immediately after Ramadan, but I do not want to take anyone for granted.”

The former governor noted that, going by the current state of affairs, he would spend the last 10 days of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia.

The seventh prosecution witness (PW7), Olomotane Egoro, who was subpoenaed from Access Bank, had given evidence about cash inflows from Kogi State’s local government areas into the accounts of Fazab Business Enterprise and E-Traders International Limited.

Egoro also testified about the many cash withdrawals carried out in the accounts of both companies.

Further hearing in the case continued today.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Bello for alleged money laundering amounting to N80.2 billion, an allegation the ex-governor denied by pleading not guilty to when he was arraigned.

A prosecution witness in the ongoing money laundering trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, Mr. Mshelia Arhyel Bata, has claimed that he was never the Account Officer to the Kogi State Government House Administration, where funds were allegedly withdrawn unlawfully.

Bata, a Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank, stated this during cross-examination yesterday at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the resumption of the hearing in the case.

Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with Umar Oricha (Director General, Kogi State Government House) and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge.

The EFCC is, in the charge, alleging criminal breach of trust to the tune of N110.4 billion.

Bata, who is the sixth prosecution witness, stated that the account in question was domiciled in the Lokoja branch of the bank, where he never served.

The witness, who was being cross-examined by Bello’s lawyer, Joseph Daudu (SAN), said he was not the maker of the account statement tendered by the EFCC in which he reportedly gave evidence and was cross-examined.

He said Abdulsalam Hudu, whose name appeared on multiple transactions in the bank statement tendered, was duly authorised to operate the Kogi State Government House Administration account.

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Bata stated that his conclusion was informed by the fact that Audu’s name appeared on the mandate as a signatory to the account.

The witness said it was his bank’s Relationship Manager who had more knowledge about the operations of the account than a Compliance Officer.

“At the time of opening, Chris A. Enefola was a signatory to the account. Onekutu Daniel M. and Abdulsalami Hudu were also signatories,” Bata said.

The witness explained that Oricha Umoru Shaibu was introduced as a signatory in 2016, as reflected on page 5 of the mandate, adding that Ahmed Idris was introduced in 2018, and Mr. Alhassan Omakoji in 2019.

As per the previous hearings, Bata confirmed that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s withdrawal limit for government accounts was N10 million and N500,000 for individual accounts, implying that this was adhered to in the transactions.

The Zenith Bank Compliance Officer noted that the N10 million withdrawal limit applied to all signatories and duly introduced representatives of the account.

The witness stated that any person who operates the account in a consistent manner is deemed a representative of the organisation.

At a point, Daudu requested the witness to tell the court the beneficiaries of the multiple transactions of N10 million carried out on December 15, 2017 – the names, the number of withdrawals, and how they appeared – which Bata did.

Daudu asked: “From what you have just stated, there are three variations of names. Since banks are usually strict with name consistency, how do we ascertain that the person involved in all the 19 transactions is the same individual?

“How can we determine that from the withdrawal instruments?”

The prosecution lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), objected to the question, saying: “My Lord, I object. The question is speculative. Questions asked during cross-examination must relate to facts in issue.

“A witness can only give evidence on facts within his knowledge, not on what might or might not have happened.”

Responding, Daudu said: “My Lord, the question is not speculative. The witness has admitted that the 19 transactions were carried out under three different name variations.

“I am putting it to him (the witness) that it is the withdrawal instruments themselves that would determine the identity of the person who carried out the transactions.”

Responding to the question, Bata said he could not tell why the names appeared differently.

He said: “Without the introductory documents, I would not know.”

The trial judge, Justice Maryanne Anenih, adjourned till January 15 for further hearing.

…witness gives details of transactions in Kogi govt’s accounts

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama on Wednesday adjourned further hearing till Thursday in the trial of former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, for his lawyer to cross-examine the sixth prosecution witness.

Justice Maryanne Anenih granted the adjournment following a request to that effect by the lawyer to the defendant, Joseph Daudu (SAN), which was not opposed to by the prosecuting lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN).

Daudu applied for an adjournment to enable him to cross-examine the witness, Mshelia Arhyel Bata (a Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank), who was led in evidence on Wednesday by Pinheiro.

Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with Umar Oricha (Director General, Kogi State Government House) and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge.

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The EFCC is in charge, alleging criminal breach of trust to the tune of N110.4 billion.

In his evidence, Bata gave details of deposits and withdrawals from the Kogi State Government House Administration Account between February 2016 and February 2018.

Bata identified multiple transactions of N10 million each, which he said stood at N1.09bn as at February 2, 2018, all within the withdrawal limits.

The witness noted that the first inflow was on the 6th of December, 2016, in the sum of ₦74,378 million.

He also noted cash withdrawal, in multiples of N10 million, totalling ₦30 million, in favour of Muhammed Jamiu Salau.

Bata confirmed inflow into the Government House account from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service.

The EFCC Counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, later told the witness to look at Exhibit R1 — the statement of account (USD) of Wales Oil and Gas.

He confirmed an overseas transfer on 12th November, 2021, against the name Farida Oricha, a Corporate FX payment of $11,000.

The Zenith Bank officer was later told to look at Exhibit P1 En Bloc, the statement of account of Aleshua Solutions Services.

He said it was a USD domiciliary account belonging to Aleshua Solutions Services Limited and confirmed debit entries on items 1 and 13.

The witness said FX payments from Aleshua Solutions were in favour of American International School.

At this point, the Defence Counsel, Daudu SAN, sought an adjournment to the next day to enable him to cross-examine the witness.

The two parties agreed, and Justice Anenih adjourned to tomorrow, November 13, for the cross-examination of the sixth witness.

The witness had, at the preceding hearing, reiterated that, before 2023, there was no strict withdrawal limit as long as the amount written on the cheque did not exceed ₦10 million.

He also confirmed multiple transactions of N10 million each but admitted they were within the approval threshold, putting the total transactions as of January 31, 2018, at N707,267,000

…prosecution to conclude with the seventh witness.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has postponed further hearing to January 29, 2026, in the ongoing money laundering trial of former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.

Justice Emeka Nwite announced the postponement midway through proceedings on Tuesday to enable the prosecution’s seventh witness, Olomotame Egoro, who had taken the witness box, to conclude his evidence in chief.

Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 19-count charge relating to money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of public funds estimated at ₦80.2 billion.

At the mention of the case on Tuesday, prosecuting lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), invited Egoro, a Compliance Officer with Access Bank Plc, to the witness box.

Pinheiro then applied to tender some documents through the witness, an application the defence lawyer, Abdullahi Yahaya (SAN), objected to.

Yahaya pointed out that the documents being sought to be rendered by the prosecution were strange.

He observed that the certificate of identification attached to the documents was signed by one Faruk Idiaro and not Egoro.

Yahaya claimed that the defendant was served with a proof of evidence that was not the same as what the witness tendered.

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In his response, Pinheiro argued that although the certificate of identification might seem different, the main documents to which the certificate was attached are the same.

At that point, Pinheiro then prayed the court to suspend proceedings briefly to enable the defence team to confirm that the documents referred to in the certificate of identification were the same as the documents tendered.

The judge acceded to the prosecuting lawyer’s request and stood down the case briefly for the parties to sort out their differences.

At the resumption of proceedings, Egoro, who was led in evidence by Pinheiro, confirmed that there were seven columns in the statement of account that was tendered and explained what the different columns stood for.

He was taken through the account statement of the Kogi State Government House Administration from December 2018 to August 2021.

The witness identified cash payments on Dec. 21, 2018, to one Aminu J.O., totaling N50 million in tranches of N10 million each.

He also pointed out withdrawals in multiples of N10 million in favour of Abdulsalam Hudu on Aug. 1, 2019.

The prosecution also asked the witness to go through Exhibit 33-8, a statement of Fazac Business Enterprise, from Jan. 1, 2019, to Dec. 31, 2022.

The PW-7 identified inflows ranging from N4.49 million to N14.45 million from the local governments of the state, on May 6, 2022.

He said there were two inflows of N7.12 million and N9.4 million from two local government areas on May 9, 2022.

The witness also confirmed that there were withdrawals from the account.