An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness on Tuesday tendered exhibits in the N3 billion alleged money laundering trial of Ali Bello, the nephew of Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, and others, before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Femi Remigus, a compliance officer at Zenith Bank Plc, was presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as its sixth prosecution witness before Justice Obiora Egwuatu.
Bello is currently the Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor Usman Dodo.
Nairametrics reports that the EFCC had on February 8, 2023, arraigned Ali Bello, Abba Daudu, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege, Iyada Sadat, and Rashida Bello (at large) on 18 counts of criminal misappropriation and money laundering, amounting to N3,081,804,654.00.
Count one of the charge reads: “That you, ALI BELLO, ABBA DAUDU, YAKUBU SIYAKA ADABENEGE, IYADA SADAT, RASHIDA BELLO (at large), sometime in June 2020, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, procured E-Traders International Limited to retain the aggregate sum of N3,081,804,654.00 (Three Billion, Eighty-One Million, Eight Hundred and Four Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty-Four Naira), which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful activity, to wit: criminal misappropriation, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18(a), 15(20)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.”
The defendants pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges, paving the way for the trial.
What Transpired in Court
At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) led Remigus in evidence.
The witness explained how millions of naira were deposited into Komfort Koncept Company’s bank account from the bank accounts of different local government areas in the state on different dates in 2018.
- The witness added that on specific dates, monies were simultaneously transferred from the said account, at different times, into some of the defendants’ bank accounts, especially Daudu’s.
“On October 4, 2018, there were 9 credits or inflows into the account of Komfort Koncept Company,” the witness said, adding that N18,629,944 came from Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State.
“The next one was from Adavi Local Government, N20,887,537. The next one from Kogi Local Government, N17,496,929. The next one was from Kabba LGA, N18,460,565. The next one was from Ankpa Local Government, N17 million. Yagba West Local Government credited N18,234,063, while Ofu Local Government credited N21,363,633,” the bank staff said.
- The witness added that before the inflows, the money standing to the credit of the bank’s customer, Komfort Koncept, was “N7,275”.
- According to him, on the date of the inflows, there was a transfer of N105 million to Abba Daudu and others.
- Earlier in the proceedings, the EFCC witness identified associated bank documents, including the statement of account, account opening package, and certificate of identification of Komfort Koncept, Yakubu, Daudu, and others.
- Through the EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo SAN, the witness applied to tender the documents as exhibits in the court’s record.
- The defense legal team objected to the admissibility of the documents but reserved objections for the final address stage.
- Justice Obiora Egwuatu subsequently admitted the exhibits into evidence, noting that the probative value of the exhibits would be determined by the court at the judgment stage.
- The Court then adjourned to May 5, 19, 20, and 21 for the continuation of the trial.
What You Should Know
The EFCC is prosecuting defendant Ali Bello in another similar case.
The sister case is before Justice James Omotosho.
