Court adjourns trial of Kogi Chief-of-Staff Ali Bello, co-defendant

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, adjourned an amended money-laundering charge instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against Kogi state governor’s chief-of-staff, Ali Bello and his co-defendant, Daudu Sulaiman, until July 15.

At the sitting on Thursday, EFCC’s witness, an Access Bank staff, Olom Egoro, was cross-examined by Bello’s counsel, Abubakar Aliyu (SAN).

During the cross-examination by Aliyu, the witness admitted to the court that there was no lodgement or withdrawal linked to Bello in the exhibit before him.

The witness explained that the staff of the compliance unit of the bank are not the ones that run and maintain the servers of the bank where information on bank transactions is generated from.

He added that it was the duty of the bank’s ICT Department to manage the bank servers.
The second defendant’s counsel, Olusegun Jolaawo, (SAN), equally cross-examined the witness.

After the defence counsel completed their cross-examination, Justice Omotosho discharged Egoro from the witness box and adjourned the matter until July 15 and 16 for trial continuation.

Recall that at the previous sitting, on May 6, EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo(SAN), had presented Egoro, who works with the Compliance Unit of Access Bank as the 6th prosecution witness in the case.

Egoro told the court that the EFCC, via a letter, requested for the bank statements of the Kogi State Government House for the period of 2018 to 2021.

He said the commission also asked for other documents, including the account opening mandate for the account and certificate of compliance in respect of the printouts.

The witness thereafter went through the statement of account, detailing the various deposits into and withdrawals from the same via transfers and cash.

From his evidence, Egoro had said the withdrawals were N10 million each in different tranches.

The witness, however, did not state who deposited the monies, what the monies were deposited for, who withdrew the same and for what purpose before concluding his testimony on the last adjourned date.

Oyedepo tendered the documents through the witness which was admitted in evidence.

Bello and Suleiman, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/550/2022, are facing trial on a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering.