Alleged Money Laundering: EFCC Witness Insists Bello Not Involved In Property Transactions

The 17th prosecution witness in the ongoing alleged money laundering case filed against a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, and two others, has maintained that the former governor was not involved in any of the property transactions before the court.

The witness, Shehu Bala, told the court, while being cross-examined by the defendant’s counsel, Paul Daudu, SAN, that the second defendant also did not participate in any of the transactions.

He noted that one Farouk Bello served as the agent.

On cross-examination, he, however, noted that he was aware that the title documents — deed of assignment and power of attorney were returned to Efab Estate by Farouk Bello.

The witness had earlier said he was not in any way related to Ali Bello and Farouk Bello, whom he had mentioned in his examination-in-chief.

He also confirmed that he was not from Kogi State, implying that he was not related to the former governor.

The witness, a commodity trader, who said he was from Katsina State, noted that he met Ali Bello about 14 years ago.

He said he knew Ali Bello in the course of his business, which is commodity trading, and they had done quite a number of businesses like buying grains from the North.

Counsel for the second and third defendants, A. M. Aliyu, SAN, asked the witness if he knew the third defendant; he said no, noting that he did not also partake in the transactions.

He told the court that at the time the title documents were returned to Efab Estate, Farouk Bello, who was his father’s friend, had passed on.

Counsel for the defendant asked if he would be correct to say that it was the children who said they wanted to collect the money on the property after the death of Dr. Farouk Bello.

The witness responded that someone came to him with documents concerning the property that they wanted to sell the property but he could not confirm if he was Farouk Bello’s son.

He confirmed that he took the documents back to the chairman of Efab Estate.

He also said the second property that was not marked by the EFCC was the one bought by Farouk.

When counsel for the defendant asked if it was correct to say that Ali Bello inherited that property from his mother, the prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, interjected that the evidence the witness gave was not about inheritance.

But the defendant’s counsel said he was entitled to lay foundation for his defence and that he could ask the witness within his capacity.