The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has tendered additional bank records in the ongoing trial of Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi State, over alleged financial crimes involving more than N110 billion.
Bello is being tried alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering.
At Thursday’s hearing, the prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), presented a compliance officer of Zenith Bank, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, as prosecution witness six for further cross-examination.
During the session, defence counsel Joseph Daudu questioned the witness on a bank statement earlier tendered by the EFCC, asking him to explain transaction entries listed under the “description” column.
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Bata told the court that the column merely reflected transaction narrations and did not disclose the purpose of the payments.
He cited entries dated January 20, 2016, including a N10 million cheque issued to Abdulsalami Hudu and another payment of N2.45 million to Halims Hotels and Tours in Lokoja. The witness said he could not determine what the funds were used for.
When asked whether the bank records showed the purpose of other transactions, including multiple ₦10 million payments made on December 6, 2016, Bata said the statements did not indicate how or why the funds were spent.
One of the entries on that date, he noted, showed a credit of N74.37 million from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, followed by cheque payments of N10 million each to Mohammed Jami’u Sallau.
Bata also identified documents tendered as the account-opening package for a Zenith Bank account domiciled in Lokoja, which he confirmed was linked to the Kogi Government House.
Under cross-examination by counsel to the third defendant, Z.B. Abbas, the witness confirmed that withdrawals from the account were made by cheque and were duly authorised. He also said Abdulsalami Hudu was introduced to the bank as a civil servant and accountant.
Justice Maryanne Anineh adjourned the trial to January 16 for continuation.
