BREAKING: Intrigue as Court Gives Verdict on EFCC Suit Against Governor Yahaya Bello

• Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state has defeated the EFCC at the federal high court in Lagos in a suit to seize some properties in Lagos, and UAE traced to him
• The EFCC had earlier obtained an injunction from the court for the governor to forfeit the properties temporarily, but Bello argued that they were bought before he became the governor
• However, the court dismissed the suit on the ground that a sitting governor or president cannot be charged to court for criminal or civil matters

Ikeja, Lagos - A federal high court in Lagos has struck out the interim order of forfeiture the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) obtained to seize 14 properties that Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state allegedly owned.

The Tribune reported that Justice Nicholas Oweibo struck the suit, citing Section 308 of the 1999 constitution that stops the anti-graft agency or any other related agency from filing any criminal or civil case against a sitting governor or the President.

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On February 22, the court granted the temporary forfeiture order after the anti-graft commission instituted an ex parte motion to seize 14 properties in Lagos and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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The EFCC was then directed by the court to make a publication in two national dailies for any parties interested in showing to the court why the properties should not be permanently forfeited.

Following the publication of the preservative order, the governor then filed a notice of intention to oppose the order and prayed to the court to vacate the interim forfeiture order.

Bello argued that the listed properties were not proceeds of unlawful acts, adding that they were his long before he became a governor, and there was no way they would have been acquired using the Kogi state government's funds.

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Money laundering: EFCC opens new file for Femi Fani-Kayode

Legit.ng earlier reported that the EFCC was set to launch fresh proceedings against Femi Fani-Kayode, a former minister of aviation and three others at the federal high court in Abuja.

Fani-Kayode, a minister under the government of the PDP, would be facing charges of alleged misappropriation of N4.6bn and money laundering.

The embattled former minister was a prominent chieftain of the APC and a strong campaigner for Bola Tinubu, the president-elect.

Source: Legit.ng