•Former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello
The immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, today urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to release his international passport to enable him to travel abroad for a medical check-up.
Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on allegations of money laundering amounting to ₦80.2 billion, reports The PUNCH.
During the resumed hearing, the defendant’s lead counsel, J.B. Daudu (SAN), filed an application requesting the retrieval of Bello’s travel documents, citing the defendant’s medical needs.
However, the prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), told the Court that they are opposing the application and a counter-affidavit has been filed to this effect.
He argued that the application was technically incompetent, adding that a similar application had already been filed at the FCT High Court, describing it as an abuse of court process.
In response, Daudu countered that it was the prosecution that was guilty of abusing court processes. He said, “We were served with the counter-affidavit yesterday, and overnight, we filed a further affidavit addressing the complainant’s counter-affidavit, supported by two exhibits.
“My Lord, the substance of this application is the release of my client’s international passport in accordance with the bail conditions, which require court approval for travel. He has pressing medical needs to attend to during the court’s vacation period. After eight years without travelling, he needs to address specific aspects of his health,” Daudu added.
Meanwhile, the fourth prosecution witness, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, Mshelia Arhyel Bata, denied claims by the EFCC that he was harassed by Bello’s security aides.
The EFCC had raised an observation that the witness was harassed by one of the security details attached to the defendant.
The Daudu, however, doubted the claim, noting that he had always known his client to be a man of peace.
He proceeded to assure the court that he would investigate the allegation and report back accordingly.
The judge urged the defendant’s counsel to thoroughly investigate the matter.
However, at the close of cross-examination, the witness sought the court’s permission to address the allegation made earlier.
Bata clarified that he had not experienced any form of harassment, contrary to allegations raised by the EFCC.
“My Lord, I wish to clarify the matter raised earlier before the commencement of proceedings. I was not harassed by any of the security details attached to the defendant. I was not harassed at all, and I felt the need to clarify this, my lord,” Bata stated.
The defence team also drew the judge’s attention to a report on the EFCC’s website alleging that the witness had been harassed.
He also said the EFCC misrepresented the facts of the previous day’s court proceedings, responding, Pinheiro assured the court that he would notify the EFCC of the defence’s concerns.
Under further cross-examination by Daudu, Bata confirmed that Bello was neither a signatory to nor listed as a beneficiary of any transactions in the accounts submitted as evidence.
He admitted that, going through Exhibit 22A, from pages 24 to 413, Yahaya Bello was not listed on any of the documents as a beneficiary of any transaction.
The witness stated, “From the documents presented, there is no mention of His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, as a signatory or beneficiary in any transaction.”
The compliance officer also mentioned the signatories on the accounts managed for the Kogi State Government House Administration and confirmed letters that introduced those who replaced some key officials along the line.
The prosecution objected to some of the defence’s questions, asserting that the witness should limit his testimony to the documents provided, stating, “The witness is not an expert in law.”
However, Justice Nwite remarked, “The witness, as an expert, knows what to say.”
The witness also told the court that he supervises a cluster of 13 branches within Abuja and other places like Gwagwalada, University of Abuja, Ahmadu Bello way, Baze University, Garki, and Garki Ultra Modern Market, among others.
He admitted that his clusters did not extend beyond the Federal Capital Territory.
The witness was told to identify the signatories to the accounts and their designations, considering the documents tendered as evidence.
He mentioned the names, ranging from the Permanent Secretary to the Chief Accountant and the accountant.
Yesterday, the court admitted as evidence statements of accounts for the Kogi State Government House Administration during the tenure of Bello as governor and six others, marking them as exhibits.
The witness submitted the computer-generated copies of the account statements and tendered certificates of identification for the accounts, in compliance with legal requirements.
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the case to July 3 and 4 for the continuation of the trial and set July 21 for the ruling on the travel application.
