‘N80.2bn fraud’: Kogi Govt withdrawals during Yahaya Bello’s tenure complied with banking regulations — Witness

A witness from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) testified before a federal high court in Abuja that the withdrawals executed by the Kogi State Government during the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello did not contravene any banking rules.

Mshelia Bata, a compliance officer at Zenith Bank, appeared as the fourth prosecution witness in Bello’s ongoing money laundering case.

Bello is being tried on a 19-count charge relating to alleged money laundering totaling N80.2 billion.

During Monday’s cross-examination before presiding judge Emeka Nwite, Bata stated that Bello’s name was not listed as a beneficiary in the state account presented as evidence.

Joseph Daudu, Bello’s counsel, pointed out withdrawals made by one Umar Olufunke, which had not been cited in the prosecution’s submission.

Earlier, the prosecution referenced a series of withdrawals carried out by Abdulsalam Hudu, a cashier at the Kogi Government House, involving N10 million tranches between December 2017 and April 2018.

Bata explained that the payments were made to several hotels within the state, including Idrinana Hotels, Edge Drive Hotels, JF Hotels, May Treasure Resort, Halims Hotels, Nostalgia Suites, and Hope Confluence Hotels.

He further confirmed withdrawals made by another official, Alhassan Omakoji, from November 2021 to December 2022, noting that none of the transactions exceeded the cash limit set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The witness added that he was not aware of any law that dictates how the Kogi State Government should utilize its funds or allocations, and therefore, he could not ascertain the purpose of the transactions beyond the named beneficiaries.

He was subsequently discharged after the prosecution confirmed it had no additional questions.

In addition, the EFCC’s fifth witness, Jesutoni Akoni, a compliance officer with Ecobank, presented account statements belonging to Moses Ailetu covering January to December 2016, which were admitted as ‘exhibit 29’.

Akoni identified multiple deposits made by Ailetu, Abdulwahab Sabo, and Shehu Bello, among others, ranging from N3 million to N20 million.

Representatives from Keystone Bank and Access Bank also submitted various account statements and subpoenaed documents.

The defence objected to some “extraneous” attachments, resulting in the prosecution removing them.

The judge adjourned proceedings until November 11 for continuation.

In a related case earlier heard at the federal capital territory (FCT) high court, an EFCC witness testified that all transactions involving the United Bank for Africa (UBA) complied with banking standards.

Williams Abimbola, UBA’s compliance officer, affirmed that no regulations were breached during the cash withdrawals linked to the Kogi Government House account domiciled in Lokoja.

In that matter, Bello faces separate money laundering charges amounting to N110 billion.