Yahaya Bello Implicated in N100bn Kogi Fund Diversion? EFCC Amends Charges
- On Thursday, there was a commotion at the Federal High Court in Abuja as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission introduced revised charges against Alli Bello, Daudu Suleiman, and the former Governor of Kogi.
- In the updated accusation presented to Justice James Omotosho, the EFCC claimed that the individuals redirected approximately N100bn from the state government's funds in September 2015, preceding Yahaya Bello's tenure as governor.
- Ex-Governor Bello was not named a defendant in the initial lawsuit and was absent from the court proceedings.
Legit.ng journalist Segun Adeyemi has over 9 years of experience covering political events, civil societies, courts, and metro
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has brought Alli Bello, the Chief of Staff, to the Governor of Kogi State and Daudu Suleiman back to court.
They are accused of redirecting around N100 billion of what belonged to the state government in September 2015.
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This allegedly happened during the tenure of the former governor, Yahaya Bello, just months before he assumed office.
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However, Ali Bello and Dauda Suleman pleaded not guilty to the amended charge, consisting of seventeen counts.
As reported by Channel TV online, this occurred in front of Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Earlier, Alli Bello's lawyer, Abubakar Aliyu, objected to the revised charge, arguing that the anti-corruption agency had not followed the procedures outlined in Section 218 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
He claimed they were not provided with a copy of the amended charge. However, the EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, urged the court to dismiss the defendant's arguments, stating that the court had approved the changes.
Justice James Omotoso acknowledged that he had expedited the hearing and ordered that objections be withheld until the presentation of arguments and the reading of the charge.
Meanwhile, Justice Omotoso has ruled that Alli Bello and Dauda Suleman will maintain the same bail conditions previously granted them for earlier charges.
Antecedents of court's ruling
In the initial accusation, former Governor Bello, Alli Bello, and Dauda Suleman were charged with conspiring in September 2015 to convert N80,246,470,089 for personal gain.
Additionally, they were accused of violating section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011, as they should have reasonably known that the money originated from fraudulent activities and the breach of public trust.
Separately, Alli Bello and Dauda Suleman faced allegations of concealing significant sums of money with Rabiu Musa Tafada, a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator trading under Global Venture in Abuja.
Ajaokuta Steel: Fresh allegation levelled against Yahaya Bello
In another report, Simon Achuba, the ex-deputy governor of Kogi state, has accused the former governor, Yahaya Bello, of obstructing the functionality of the Ajaokuta Steel Company.
According to Achuba, Bello established a company to engage with Ajaokuta Steel and involved Kogi State to camouflage his intentions.
Allegations further suggest that Bello is leveraging the influence of traditional leaders in Kogi Central to impede the investigation into the $496 million affair.
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Source: Legit.ng
