N80.2b fraud: Yahaya Bello pleads not guilty, gets ₦500m bail
By Emma Ogbuehi
The former governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello has pleaded not guilty to a 19-count charge of criminal breach of trust brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The former governor made the plea as Federal High Court in Abuja granted him bail to the tune of ₦500 million.
Bello is accused of diverting funds belonging to Kogi State to acquire, through proxies, property both in Nigeria and abroad. When the charge was read to Bello by an official of the court, he said he understood all the counts and pleaded not guilty to all of them.
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Justice Emeka Nwite who presided over the court session on Friday ordered that the former governor must produce two sureties in like sum.
He said the two sureties must swear to an affidavit of means and must be owners of Properties in Abuja.
In addition, the title documents of the properties, which must be in Abuja, will be verified by the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court.
Bello pleaded not guilty to the alleged ₦80 billion fraud levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
EFCC had arraigned Bello before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja on a 19-count charge, bordering on alleged money laundering.
At the resumed hearing, Counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, notified the court of his intention to withdraw an earlier application for abridgment of the earlier date fixed for arraignment.
He said the application had been overtaken by events.
Counsel to the defendants, Joseph Daudu, SAN, did not object to this and Justice Emeka Nwite, accordingly granted the request, striking out the application. Daudu told the court that his client’s failure to attend court before now, was not out of disrespect, but a desire to fully defended himself.
