EFCC has tendered a fresh bank records as Yahaya Bello’s N110bn money laundering trial continues in Abuja.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that the trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, continued on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presenting additional banking documents to support its case.
Bello is standing trial alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving an alleged N110.4 billion.
Proceedings resumed before Justice Maryanne Anineh, with the prosecution led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro. The EFCC called its sixth prosecution witness, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, who returned to NAIJAONPOINT stand for further cross-examination.
During questioning by Joseph Daudu, counsel to the first and second defendants, Bata was asked to clarify details contained in exhibit S1, a bank statement earlier admitted in evidence. Daudu specifically requested an explanation of the “description” column in the document.
NAIJAONPOINT explained that the column reflected transaction narrations, drawing attention to an entry dated January 20, 2016, which read: “Cq 158 Abdulsalami Hudu for N10,000,000.” He also cited another entry stating: “ZB chq 155 paid Halims Hotels and Tours, Lokoja, N2,454,400.”
However, Bata told the court that he could not determine the purpose for which the funds were used, as the bank statement did not provide such details.
The defence then directed NAIJAONPOINT to another document marked exhibit X1, which Bata identified as the account-opening package for a company account held at Zenith Bank’s Lokoja branch.
When questioned about the volume and timing of transactions on the account, Bata clarified that the entries he reviewed began on November 14, 2016, contrary to the defence’s suggestion that multiple transactions occurred between March 10 and March 12, 2016.
Reading from the statement of account, NAIJAONPOINT disclosed that on December 6, 2016, the account received a credit transfer of N74,378,483.20 from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service. He added that the same day recorded a cheque payment of N10 million to Mohammed Jami’u Sallau.
Bata noted that neither the payment nor a similar N10 million transfer to the same recipient carried any narration explaining their purpose.
Counsel to the third defendant, Z.B. Abbas, also cross-examined NAIJAONPOINT , who confirmed that all withdrawals made by Abdulsalami Hudu were effected through cheques duly endorsed by authorised signatories.
Bata further testified that exhibit X1 represented the statement of account for the Government House account, while another document, exhibit X2, showed that Hudu was introduced to the bank as a civil servant and accountant.
Justice Anineh subsequently adjourned the matter until January 16 for continuation of the trial.