The court rescheduled hearing regarding the N110 billion fraud case after Mr Bello did not honour the summons directing him to appear for arraignment on Thursday.
Old Kogi Instruct Governor Yahaya Bello continued to evade trial on Thursday by failing to acknowledge to a summons for arraignment sooner than the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Excessive Court in Abuja. This most up-to-date case involves allegations of N110 billion fraud.
The make a name, Maryann Anenih, had issued the summons on 3 October.
She also granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Price (EFCC) permission for substituted provider of the prices and accompanying paperwork in lieu of for my piece serving them on the defendant.
The EFCC filed the fraud prices involving an alleged N10 billion in Kogi Instruct authorities funds on September 25, while easy scrambling to arraign Mr Bello in a separate N80 billion money laundering case sooner than the Federal Excessive Court in Abuja.
Both cases sooner than the two separate courts involve alleged diversion of Kogi Instruct Authorities’s funds during the eight-year tenure of Mr Bello as governor.
In the case that came up on Thursday, the EFCC charged Mr Bello alongside two others – Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The 16 counts alleged in the case centre on allegations of criminal breach of trust involving alleged diversion of bigger than N110 billion entrusted in Mr Bello’s care as Kogi Instruct governor. The anti-graft company talked about Mr Bello and his co-defendants diverted this fund in 2016, his first year in administrative center.
Following Mr Bello’s absence from court on Thursday, EFCC’s attorney, Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Recommend of Nigeria (SAN), pleaded with the make a name, Mrs Anenih, to adjourn the case till the time when the summons she issued to the feeble governor elapses on 14 November.
Mr Oyedepo reminded the court of a public summons it issued during the old proceedings against the feeble governor directing that related be published and that the charge be pasted.
Mrs Anenih, on the other hand, interjected, stating that she did no longer give an advise that the prices be pasted alongside the summons.
Mr Oyedepo, who admitted, talked about he anticipated Mr Bello to be in court, despite the truth that the 30-day duration of the summons would lapse on 14 November.
The prosecutor due to the this truth sought an adjournment till 14 November for arraignment of the three defendants.
‘No human shield’
On the opposite hand, a defence attorney, Joseph Daudu, also a SAN, objected to Mr Oyedepo’s application.
The senior attorney talked about since the topic became as soon as scheduled for arraignment for Thursday, he and his consumer contain been prepared to proceed, stressing that every defendant is independent and desires to be so handled.
“You cannot be using somebody as a human shield when they are not in hostage. I don’t like this practice,” he talked about.
He talked about that if the prosecution became as soon as no longer prepared to proceed with the case, the defendants who contain been already in court, needs to be discharged.
The opposite defence attorney, Mohammed Aliyu, a SAN, who represented every other defendant, aligned with Mr Daudu’s submission.
Mr Aliyu talked about in the replace, he would be asking the court to steal his consumer’s application for bail.
Mr Oyedepo, on the other hand, disagreed with the defence.
He talked about that the applying for bail might perhaps presumably presumably no longer be taken since the case, which alleges conspiracy, is a joint trial.
The prosecutor insisted that the court should adjourn till 14 November and smartly-known that he had obtained a enforcement of most principal rights filed by the 2d defendant.
He argued that the applying for bail can no longer be taken till the arraignment of the three defendants.
Mr Daudu, on the other hand, argued that Mr Oyedepo’s space negated the principles of magnificent hearing.
“His argument is persuasive however does not breeze by what the law says.
“That till one individual seems sooner than they might perhaps presumably additionally additionally be arraigned. I develop no longer price this kind of apply.
“It is an affront to magnificent hearing for the reason that privilege of magnificent hearing permits us to lift any narrate. Keeping them for 10 years will develop no longer contain any affect.
“They have enjoyed administrative bail before with the EFCC, so it won’t hurt their pride if they give them,” he talked about.
Apart from, Mr Daudu alleged that EFCC abused the court path of when it obtained an advise to remand the defendants at a magistrate court, even when the topic became as soon as already sooner than the high court.
“That is the abuse,” he talked about.
Mr Daudu, a feeble President of the Nigerian Bar Association, also requested for a date for the basic rights application of his consumer.
Although the make a name refused the oral application for bail, she instructed the defendants to formialise their demand by filling written capabilities.
The make a name, Mrs Anenih, due to the this truth adjourned till 14 and 20 November in anticipation that Mr Bello would adjust to the court’s summons and for doable arraignment.
Charges
The N110 billion fraud case involves a amount of counts alleging that Mr Bello dishonestly purchased for himself properties located in desire areas of Abuja and one in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with funds he allegedly diverted from the train authorities’s treasury.
For instance, the commission talked about the feeble Kogi Instruct governor took N100 million from the authorities’s treasury to buy himself a property at 1160 Cadastral Zone C03, Gwarimpa II, Abuja, in 2021.
It alleged he offered every other property at 35, Danubi Avenue, Maitama, Abuja, for himself with N950 million belonging to the train in 2023.
He allegedly offered every other one at 2, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Avenue, Asokoro, Abuja, with N920 million belonging to the train in 2020.
In every other depend, the commission alleged that Mr took N100 million from the Kogi Instruct Authorities to buy himself a property is named Block D, Manzini Avenue, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.
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Piling upright woes
The novel case increases the stress on Mr Bello, who became as soon as fighting a prolonged war to stave off the Federal Excessive Court trial sooner than the novel prices contain been filed against him.
In April, the EFCC made a futile strive to arrest Mr Bello at his situation in Abuja. The police officers stationed at the dwelling helped him to hinder EFCC operatives’ pass to enact a court’s arrest warrant on him. The standoff became as soon as easy on when the then newly elected Kogi Instruct governor, Usman Ododo, arrived there and facilitated Mr Bello’s atomize out.
On the opposite hand, the EFCC afflicted the final public by refusing to arrest Mr Bello when he surrendered at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on 18 September. Instead, the commission dispatched operatives to develop every other unsuccessful strive to arrest him at the Kogi Instruct Authorities Residence in Asokoro, Abuja, later that related day. The EFCC would later cite some imprecise reasons, including certain “backend intelligence”, as its reason behind no longer arresting Mr Bello, despite having declared him wanted since April.
In the period in-between, when the following court session scheduled for Mr Bello to appear for arraignment came on 25 September, he refused to demonstrate up. His attorney, who looked on his behalf, cited an charm he filed at the Supreme Court to disaster the Court of Charm’s judgements ordering him to resign for trial.
The make a name, Emeka Nwite, rescheduled the arraignment to 30 October.
( NAN)
