The 17th prosecution witness in the ongoing alleged money laundering trial of the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, and two others, on Wednesday told the court that the former governor was not involved in any of the property transactions before the court.
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The witness, Shehu Bello Bala, gave the testimony while being cross-examined by counsel to the defendant, Paul Daudu, SAN.
Bala told the court that the second defendant did not participate in any of the transactions, adding that one Farouk Bello acted as the agent in the property dealings.
The witness also stated that he was aware that the title documents, including the deed of assignment and power of attorney, were returned to Efab Estate by Farouk Bello.
Earlier in his testimony, Bala said he was not related to Ali Bello or Farouk Bello, whom he had mentioned during his examination-in-chief.
He also confirmed that he was from Katsina State and not Kogi State, implying that he had no family relationship with the former governor.
The witness, who described himself as a commodity trader, said he met Ali Bello about 14 years ago through business dealings.
“I knew Ali Bello in the course of my business, which is commodity trading. We have done quite a number of businesses, like buying grains from the North,” he said.
“We buy ginger and other products from the North and sell them. This was around 2012-2013. I also know that he is into real estate,” the witness added.
Counsel to the second and third defendants, A. M. Aliyu, SAN, also asked the witness whether he knew the third defendant.
Bala said he did not know the third defendant and added that the third defendant did not participate in the transactions.
The witness told the court that by the time the title documents were returned to Efab Estate, Farouk Bello, whom he described as his father’s friend, had already died.
Asked whether it would be correct to say that Farouk Bello’s children later sought to collect money on the property after his death, Bala said someone came to him with documents concerning the property for sale, but he could not confirm whether the person was Farouk Bello’s son.
He confirmed that he took the documents back to the chairman of Efab Estate.
“That was when we realised that the property was being investigated,” he told the court.
Bala further testified that the second property, which he said was not marked by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, was the one bought by Farouk Bello.
When defence counsel asked whether Ali Bello inherited the property from his mother, prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, objected, saying the witness had not given evidence relating to inheritance.
Daudu, however, argued that the defence was entitled to lay the foundation for its case and to ask questions within the witness’s knowledge.
The matter forms part of the ongoing trial in which the EFCC is prosecuting Yahaya Bello and others over alleged money laundering.
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