BY ANTHONY OCHELA, ABUJA
Former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello and his co-accuseds Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, on Wednesday, pleaded not guilty at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, to a 16 count charge of fraud and money laundering proffered against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC).
The trio were arraigned before Justice Maryann Anenih in the charge marked CR/7781, bordered on conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and possession of unlawfully obtained property.
This is the first time former Governor Bello is making himself available before a judge since EFCC had dragged him and his co-accused to courts over allegations of malfeasance during his terms of office in Kogi State.
The EFCC alleged that the former governor misused state funds to acquire properties, including No. 35 Danube Street, Maitama District, Abuja (N950 million), No. 1160 Cadastral Zone C03, Gwarimpa II District, Abuja (N100 million), and No. 2 Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Street, Asokoro, Abuja (N920 million).
Other properties the defendants allegedly acquired with funds stolen from the Kogi state treasury included Block D Manzini Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N170 million), Hotel Apartment Community: Burj Khalifa, Dubai (Five Million, Six Hundred and Ninety-Eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty-Eight Dirhams), Block 18, Gwelo Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N60 million), and No. 9 Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N310.4 million).
The defendants were accused of transferring $570,330 and $556,265 to TD Bank, USA, and possessing unlawfully obtained property, including N677.8 million from Bespoque Business Solution Limited.
Details later…
