The testimony does not deviate from EFCC’s case, which alleges the use of intermediaries to receive funds from the Kogi State funds for Mr Bello’s benefits.
Prosecution witness, Nicholas Ojehomon, on Thursday, said there was no transfer of funds from the account of Kogi State Government to the American International School, Abuja (AISA)’s account for payment of former Governor Yahaya Belllo’s children’s school fees.
Mr Ojehomon, an Internal Auditor in AISA and the third prosecution witness in the money laundering trial of Mr Bello, told trial judge Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the former governor on money laundering charges, accusing him of diverting N80.2 billion in Kogi State’s funds. EFCC alleged in the case that Mr Bello paid $720,000 in advance school fees for his children. The anti-graft agency also alleged that the former governor paid the money in instalments between September 2021 to January 2022. The agency described the money paid to the school as part of proceeds of unlawful activities.
EFCC also alleged in the case that the former governor purchased properties with funds diverted from the state government’s treasury.
In February, the first prosecution witness, Segun Adeleke, General Manager of EFAB Properties Limited, testified on the purchase of some properties which the EFCC alleged in the charges were acquired with Kogi State’s funds for Mr Bello.
On Thursday, the third prosecution witness, under cross-examination by counsel for the ex-governor, Joseph Daudu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), on the AISA’s bank statement marked as Exhibit 16, told the trial court that neither the names of any of the local governments in the state nor Yahaya Bello’s name appeared in the exhibit.
“Look at the fund column by column, it seems it does have the names of who wired money into the account,” Daudu said to the witness.
“Yes it does,” the witness responded.
“if you check the entire statement, is there any wired transfer coming from the Kogi State government ?” the lawyer asked.
“No there is no such name,” the witness responded.
“What of any local government from Kogi State?” the lawyer asked, and Mr Ojehomon answered in the negative.
“What of the name, Alhaji Yahaya Bello? Is there any direct transfer bearing the name Yahaya Bello on the face of the document?” Mr Daudu also asked.
“No, there is no name like Yahaya Bello in the statement,” the witness responded.
When Mr Daudu asked the witness if other parents pay money into the account as school fees, the witness said: “Yes, I confirm other parents pay into the account.”
The internal auditor also admitted that the names of those parents reflect in the statement of account.