Yahaya Adoza Bello, a former Kogi State Governor is to be arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja today, Thursday over an N 80.2 billion fraud charge instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The ex-governor will be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite in a 19-count charge bordering on money laundering as scheduled by the court at the last adjourned date.
During today’s proceedings (if he appears in court), the ex-governor is expected to take his plea (guilty or not guilty) when charges are read to him thereby paving the way for trial and his legal team’s possible bail application.
In line with court rules, when someone has been arraigned in a criminal trial, the prosecution asks that such person be either remanded at the Correctional Centre pending the end of the trial, be allowed to go on its administrative bail or await the ruling on bail application while staying in custody.
EFCC charges
Yahaya Adoza Bello, Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu (still at large) are accused of conspiring in February 2016 to convert N80,246,470,088.88, which was allegedly obtained through a criminal breach of trust, violating Section 18(a) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.
Between July 26, 2021, and April 6, 2022, Yahaya Bello is alleged to have aided E-Traders International Limited in concealing N3,081,804,654.00 in an Access Bank account, knowing it was from unlawful activity, thereby violating Sections 18(a) and 15(2)(d) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
Additionally, in November 2021, Bello allegedly procured E-Traders International Limited to transfer $570,330.00 to a TD Bank account in the USA, also from unlawful activity, violating Section 15(2)(d) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.
What you should know
The EFCC and other security agencies had declared Bello wanted citing in court, their inability to track his whereabouts or arrest him.
The planned arraignment of the Kogi State ex-governor comes amid the ongoing trial of his nephew, Alli Bello, Daudu Suleiman and another for fraud.
They were accused of diverting public funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.
In that case, Yahaya Bello was mentioned as an accomplice in some of the counts.
Nairametrics reports that a state high court in Kogi had earlier restrained the EFCC from arresting or prosecuting Yahaya Bello (in a civil suit) but the anti-graft agency also obtained a bench warrant from the Federal High Court Abuja against the former governor regarding its criminal charges.
However, the Appeal Court stayed the execution of all the proceedings in the suits filed at the Kogi State High Court by Bello.
Bello’s legal team is still on that appeal but the trial court has held that the criminal case before him must continue in line with the rules of the court.
Section 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Acts allows a prosecution to oppose a bail application if it can prove that a defendant has allegedly attempted to evade trial or destroy evidence.
