Yahaya Bello, the fourth prosecution witness in the ongoing alleged money laundering trial of the former governor of Kogi State, refutes claims that the former governor’s security advisors harassed him.
At the conclusion of the cross-examination, Mr. Mshelia Bata, a compliance officer for Zenith Bank, stated that he felt the need to clarify the claim made by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) counsel.
The defendant’s attorney, Joseph Daudu, SAN, claimed that the Commission’s witness had been harassed in a story published on the EFCC website.
Read more about Yahaya Bello’s story here: The court rejects EFCC’s request to cross-examine witnesses
He claimed that the EFCC improperly disclosed the court’s findings from the previous day.
Pinheiro responded, saying he would contact the EFCC office to inquire about the situation.
The defendant’s attorney, Joseph Daudu, SAN, also confirmed that the former governor had no connection to any of the accounts that were made available as evidence during cross-examination.
He acknowledged that the defendant was not also identified as a beneficiary of any transaction on Exhibit 22A, which lists the defendant as a beneficiary from pages 24 to 413.
“I’m here to speak on the documents I have.” His Excellency’s name was not included in any description or beneficiary in any transaction, he stated, confirming that from the document.
The compliance officer had previously confirmed letters that introduced the key personnel who had been appointed as part of the Kogi State Government House Administration’s signatories and mentioned the signatories on those accounts.
Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, the prosecution’s attorney, argued that the defendant’s attorney should limit his question to the document and not to the witness, who had benefited.
The witness, however, remarked that the witness had what to say because she was an expert.
The witness had previously stated that, among other things, he supervises a cluster of 13 branches in Abuja, including Gwagwalada, the University of Abuja, Ahmadu Bello Way, Baze University, Garki, and Garki Ultra Modern Market.
He also acknowledged that the Federal Capital Territory was not the location of his clusters.
Prior to the documents being presented as evidence, the witness was instructed to identify the signatories to the accounts and their designations.
He listed the names of accountants, including the accountant who serves as the permanent secretary, the accountant who is the chief accountant, and the accountant who are the permanent secretary.
The EFCC’s attorney had made the observation that the witness had been harassed by one of the defendant’s security details when it came to harassment.
The defendant’s attorney questioned the assertion, noting that he had always known his client to be a peaceful person.
He, however, promised to look into the allegations and provide a report in the process.
The defendant’s attorney was then advised to thoroughly examine the situation by the judge.
Further, the defendant’s attorney provided further information to the court regarding the request for the defendant’s travel documents to be recovered.
Abuse of Court Procedure
However, the prosecution claimed to have counter-affidavited the application, alleging that it was technically incompetent.
Read more about the alleged $80.2% fraud, including Yahaya Bello’s paid children’s school fees, and Dollars – Witnesses.
Pinheiro claimed that the FCT High Court had received the same application, citing the abuse of court procedures.
Daudu claimed that the prosecution was held accountable for court process abuse.
We received the counteraffidavit yesterday, and we later filed a second counteraffidavit with two additional exhibits.
My Lord, the main point of the request is for his passport to be released in accordance with the bail conditions that he must meet in court if necessary.
The defendant’s attorney added that after eight years of not traveling, his client needed to attend to some aspects of his health. He further explained that his client had medical needs to be treated for during the vacation.
