There was confusion at the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday over the amended fraud charge filed against Alli Bello and Daudu Suleiman, as well as the immediate past governor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The anti-graft agency claimed that the accused persons diverted about N100 billion belonging to the state government in September 2015, months before Yahaya Bello assumed office.
Bello was not a defendant in the original suit and was not in court.
However, Alli Bello, currently the chief of staff to the Kogi State governor and Dauda Suleman have denied the allegations in the amended charges brought against them at the fresh arraignment yesterday in Abuja.
They pleaded not guilty after the amended charge was read to them before Justice James Kolawole Omotoso.
Earlier, Yahaya Bello through his counsel, A.M. Aliyu (SAN) had objected to reading of the amended charges to his client.
His ground of objection was that the EFCC had failed woefully to comply with Section 218 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
The senior lawyer submitted that a copy of the amended charge was not served on them as required by the provisions of the ACJA Act.
The EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) asked the court to reject the argument of the defendant, adding that the court had on its own endorsed the amendment.
In a brief ruling, Justice Omotoso recalled that he had granted accelerated hearing in the matter and had also ordered that all forms of objections must be kept in abeyance till the address stage.
He directed the registrar of the court to read the amended charges.
In the first count, former Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello, Alli Bello and Dauda Suleman were accused of conspiring with one another in September 2015 and converted N80,246,470,089 to their personal use.
They were alleged to have run foul of section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 because they ought to have reasonably known that the money was a product of fraud and criminal breach of public trust.
In other charges, Alli Bello and Dauda Suleman allegedly concealed several millions of naira with one Rabiu Musa Tafada, a bureau de change (BDC) operator trading under Global Venture in Abuja.
Alli Bello’s counsel, Aliyu (SAN), at this point, requested that one of the EFCC witnesses, Edward Fanada, be recalled for fresh cross examination in view of the content of the amended charges.
The request was granted by Justice Omotoso due to no opposition from the EFCC lawyer.
Meanwhile, Justice Omotoso has ordered that Alli Bello and Dauda Suleman should continue to enjoy the bail conditions granted them in the previous charges.