Witnesses in the alleged money laundering trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello on Monday reaffirmed that withdrawals by the state government did not violate banking regulations.
Mshelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank and the fourth prosecution witness, told Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court that Bello’s name did not appear as a beneficiary in the account statements presented. Bata also confirmed that withdrawals by other individuals, including Umar Comfort Olufunke and Alhassan Omakoji, were within the N10 million cash withdrawal limit set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Under cross-examination, Bata stated he was not aware of any law regulating how Kogi State Government spends its funds. He added that aside from the named beneficiaries, there was no way to determine the purpose of the transactions.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also presented three other bank compliance officers, including Jesutoni Akoni (Ecobank), Mohammed Hassan (Keystone Bank), and Olomotame Egoro (Access Bank), who confirmed that Bello was not listed as a beneficiary in any of the accounts or deposits under scrutiny.
The defence successfully had extraneous documents attached to some statements removed from evidence.
Justice Nwite adjourned the trial until November 11 for continuation.
