By Abiola Olawale
The Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has revealed a shocking incident about how the former governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello conspired with the current Chief of Staff to the Kogi Governor, Alli Bello, and one Daudu Suleiman to allegedly divert the state funds to the tune of N100 billion.
The anti-graft agency revealed this in an amended charge filed before Justice James Omotosho. In the amended charge, EFCC alleged that the suspects diverted about N100 billion belonging to the state government in September 2015, months before Bello assumed office as the governor of Kogi state.
The trio were alleged to have gone against the provision of Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 because they ought to have reasonably known that the money was a product of fraud and criminal breach of public trust.
The New Diplomat reports that Bello was not a defendant in the original suit, and was not in court. However, when the matter was called in court on Thursday, EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, read out a fresh amended charge that included Bello as a defendant.
The counsel for the former governor, A.M. Aliyu, SAN, objected to the reading of the amended charges to his client. His ground of objection was that the anti-graft agency had failed woefully to comply with Section 218 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
The senior lawyer argued that a copy of the amended charges was not served on them as required by the provisions of ACJA.
But EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, asked the court to reject the arguments of the defendant, adding that the court had, on its own, endorsed the amendment.
Justice Omotoso, in a short ruling, recalled that he had granted an accelerated hearing in the matter and had also ordered that all forms of objections must be kept in abeyance till the address stage.
The judge then directed the court registrar to read the amended charges.
Shortly after the fresh 17-count charge was read to the defendants, Bello and his co-defendant, Dauda Suleman, denied the fraud allegations. They pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
