The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has adjourned the trial of Ali Bello and his co-defendant, Dauda Suleiman, until Tuesday to continue hearing a charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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Justice James Omotosho adjourned the matter after Edward Bannada, EFCC’s second prosecution witness, was cross-examined and re-examined by counsel for the defence and prosecution.
While A.M. Aliyu, SAN, appeared for the first defendant, Mr Bello, Nureini Jimoh, SAN, represented Mr Suleiman, the second defendant in the suit, FHC/ABJ/CR/550/2022.
While being cross-examined by Mr Jimoh with respect to the evidence he tendered (statements of accounts), Mr Bannada, an official of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), said he could not remember seeing the names of the two defendants as beneficiaries who made withdrawals from the bank statements tendered.
He, however, confirmed that Abdulsalam Hudu made most of the withdrawals from the account statements.
The witness also stated that he played no role in the entries in the statements of account and only became a witness in the matter due to EFCC’s invitation.
Mr Bannada also confirmed that the cash transactions of the Kogi State Government and the Kogi State Government House Administration, as seen in the statements of account, were majorly inflow of security funds and the cash withdrawal of the inflow, which did not contradict the cash withdrawal policy of the CBN, the bank or any law.
He also confirmed that the withdrawal by Mr Hudu did not exceed the limit of the security fund lodgement.
When the anti-corruption agency’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, attempted to re-examine the witness on the issue of the absence of the name of Messrs Bello and Suleiman on the statements of account and the operation of a computer, the court overruled him.
The matter was consequently adjourned until February 6 for trial continuation.
The EFCC had, on December 15, 2022, arraigned Mr Bello, a nephew of former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello and Mr Suleiman, on a 10-count charge of alleged misappropriation and money laundering.
The anti-graft body claimed the duo, alongside Mr Hudu, a cashier at the Kogi State House who is at large, withdrew N10.2 billion from the state’s treasury for personal use.
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