Sunday Ejike, Author at Tribune Online

A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Offure Achille, on Tuesday, admitted that the name of Ali Bello, the Chief of Staff to Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State, did not feature in any of the bank transactions in the ongoing money laundering trial preferred against Bello and others by the anti-graft agency. Achille, the Head of Operations at the Access Bank branch between 2015 and 2023 in Lokoja, Kogi, told the Federal High Court in Abuja during cross-examination by Bello's counsel, Abubakar Aliyu, SAN, that he had no personal interest in the case but agreed that she gave a testimony as part of her official assignment. She also admitted that she gave evidence that there were transfers of funds from the state's local government areas (LGAs) accounts into Fazab Business Enterprise, Hyzman, and ARY Construction Limited. When the lawyer asked her if she had anything from any of the LGAs, either by way of complaints that the payments made were either fraudulent or unauthorised, or to show that they were not for services rendered by the companies, the witness said, "I did not have anything. There were no complaint." Achille, who is the 7th prosecution witness (PW-7), said lodgements of funds into E-Traders' account were not through cash, admitting that she gave evidence that it was the cash withdrawn from Fazab, Hyzman and ARY that were paid into E-Traders' account "Is it correct that neither you nor any staff of the bank colluded with them to carry out any illegality," Aliyu also asked, and Achille responded in the affirmative and told the court that the bank keeps proper books of accounts of the organisation. When the lawyer asked the witness to take a look at the account statements of Hyzman and tell the court if there were several withdrawals, she admitted that several withdrawals were made. However, when Aliyu asked her to vet the account statements to see if there were any corresponding lodgements of funds into E-Traders' account between 2020 and 2022, the witness said there was none. The lawyer also asked the witness to look at the Fazab account between 2020 and 2021 and tell the court about the withdrawals and lodgements. The PW-7 responded that though there were withdrawals from the account, there was no lodgement into the E-Traders' account. She said on August 2, 2021, the 2nd defendant (Abba Adaudu) withdrew the sum of N300, 000 from the account, but on the same day, he lodged into the E-Traders account the sum of N30 million. She, however, agreed with the lawyer that on the occasions when lodgements and withdrawals were made the same day, the amount paid in were greater than the amount withdrew. "Out of all these lodgements and withdrawals you went through from the last adjourned date and today, the name, Ali Bello, didn't feature in any of this," the lawyer asked and the witness responded in affirmative. When Aliyu began to ask the witness questions on ARY account statements between 2017 and 2022, EFCC's lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, objected, insisting that the bank entries before the court only began from 2021. However, Aliyu disagreed with Oyedepo, arguing that while being led in evidence in chief, the witness made reference to account statements that had 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and that it was their right too to cross-examine her based on her evidence. The trial judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, who adjourned the matter till July 1 and July 2 for continuation of the trial, said the questions were for the "witness to respond if the entry is in the exhibit before her or not." Bello is being prosecuted on an 18-count charge, bordering on alleged money laundering of about N3 billion belonging to Kogi government and its local governments alongside his co-defendants —Abba Adaudu, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege, Iyada Sadat, and Rashida Bello. ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE