A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting at Maitama, on Thursday adjourned further hearing on the 16-count money laundering charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) preferred against the former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, until November 12.
The adjournment followed the EFCC calling its sixth witness to testify before trial Justice Maryann Anenih.
In her Evidence-in-Chief, a Compliance Officer with Polaris Bank, Ms. Victoria Oluwafemi, told the court that as of November 2021, the total credit in the Kogi State Government House Account was N450 million.
According to the witness, records of inflows into the account showed that monies were paid in by different persons and subsequently withdrawn in multiples of N10 million.
While being cross-examined by ex-Governor Bello’s lawyer, Mr. J. B. Daudu, SAN, the witness admitted that she was not the account officer for two accounts the state operated with her bank.
She added that, since she was neither the account officer nor the relationship manager, she could not explain how transactions on the accounts were carried out.
The witness also told the court that the name of Bello’s co-defendant, Abdulsalam Hudu, did not appear in the bank document.
Meanwhile, the defendants challenged EFCC’s move to tender some documents through the sixth witness, Msheila Arhyel B, who was subpoenaed to appear before the court.
Daudu, SAN, told the court that he had not concluded the cross-examination of the same witness at the Federal High Court, where ex-Governor Bello is facing a similar charge.
His contention was, however, dismissed by Justice Anenih, who held that the proceeding before her could not be tied to a trial pending in another court.
In his objection, Bello’s counsel insisted that documents the prosecution sought to tender against his client failed to meet the threshold of admissibility as provided in sections 83 and 84 of the Evidence Act.
On his part, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, urged the court to discountenance the objection and admit the documents in evidence.
The document, a 218-page statement of account belonging to a firm, Alusha Services, which was signed by PW-6, was admitted in evidence and marked as Exhibit P1.
He told the court that prior to 2023, there was no strict withdrawal limit as long as the amount written on the cheque did not exceed N10 million.
He told the court that prior to 2023, there was no strict withdrawal limit as long as the amount written on the cheque did not exceed N10 million.
Asked to examine transactions that took place on the account between February 22 and 25, as well as on March 3, 2016, and May 6, 2022, the witness confirmed multiple transactions of N10 million each.
He told the court that the total transactions, which amounted to about N707,267,000.00 as of January 31, 2018, were within the approval threshold of the bank.
The witness further confirmed that the sum of $2,500 was, on May 6, 2022, paid into the account of Aleshua Solutions Services by one B. O. Rosemary Chukwuma.
“The second is a transfer in favour of Yau for $5,000. The third is also a cash transfer of $5,000 to Yau,” he added.
The witness also confirmed certain transactions in December 2016 from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, totaling N202 million.