- Court shifts arraignment of ex-Gov Bello to June 27
By Abiola Olawale
The planned arraignment of the immediate-past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, on an alleged N80.2 billion fraud, was stalled during court proceedings on Thursday.
The court’s adjournment was prompted by the absence of the lead counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kemi Pinheiro, SAN,
Addressing the court, the legal counsel to Bello, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, Pinhero had earlier notified the defence lawyers that he would not be able to make it to court and accordingly requested a new date to be set for the defendant to enter his plea to the 19-count charge the anti-graft agency preferred against him.
He said he was surprised when he heard that EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo was in court.
“They (EFCC) agreed that junior counsel would be sent to court today to formally pick a date. And the registry can confirm this,” Adedipe said.
“Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, has been calling us to say today is not convenient,” he added. Kemi Pinheiro is the lead counsel.
After arguments, the presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite fixed June 27 as the new date for the arraignment.
It would be recalled that Bello and the EFCC had been engaging in a tug-of-war over the past few weeks. The anti-graft agency had moved to arrest the former governor and even laid siege on his Abuja residence for several hours, however, Bello refused to submit himself and has since gone underground.
Bello had argued that the EFCC had no right to arrest him, relying on an ex-parte order from the Federal High Court, Kogi State. However, the EFCC had said it has the right to arrest and prosecute the former governor, saying it has obtained an arrest warrant from the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The New Diplomat reports that the EFCC had declared Bello wanted in connection to an alleged case of money laundering to the tune of N80.2bn.
It would be recalled also that the chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, had accused Bello of allegedly withdrawing $720,000 from the government account to a Bureau de Change, to pay for his child’s school fees in advance. However, the former governor has since denied the claims, describing them as false and untrue.
