An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Offure Achille, on Tuesday, admitted that the name of Ali Bello, the Chief of Staff to Gov. Usman Ododo of Kogi, did not feature in any of the bank transactions in the ongoing money laundering trial.
Achille, the Head of Operations at the Access Bank branch between 2015 and 2023 in Lokoja, Kogi, told Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja during cross-examination by Bello’s counsel, Abubakar Aliyu, SAN.
The witness, who said he had no personal interest in the case, agreed that she gave testimony as part of her official assignment.
She also admitted that she gave evidence that there were transfers of funds from the state’s local government areas (LGAs) accounts into three companies: Fazab Business Enterprise and Hyzman ARY Construction Limited.
When the lawyer asked her if she had anything from any of the LGAs, either by way of complaints that the payments made were either fraudulent, unauthorised, or to show that they were not for services rendered by the companies, the witness said: “I did not have anything. There were no complaints.”
Achille, who is the 7th prosecution witness (PW-7), said lodgements of funds into E-Traders’ account were not through cash.
She admitted that she gave evidence that it was the cash withdrawn from Fazab, Hyzman and ARY that was paid into E-Traders’ account
“So if no cash was brought into the bank, it means that the cash withdrawn was not taken out of the bank,” the lawyer asked, and the witness responded in the affirmative.
“Is it correct that neither you nor any staff of the bank colluded with them to carry out any illegality?” Aliyu also asked, and Achille responded in the affirmative.
The PW-7 told the court that the bank keeps proper books of accounts of the organisation.
When the lawyer asked the witness to take a look at the account statements of Hyzman and tell the court if there were several withdrawals, she admitted that several withdrawals were made.
However, when Aliyu asked her to vet the account statements to see if there were any corresponding lodgements of funds into E-Traders’ account between 2020 and 2022, the witness said there were none.
The lawyer also asked the witness to review the Fazab account between 2020 and 2021 and inform the court about the withdrawals and deposits.
The PW-7 responded that though there were withdrawals from the account, there was no lodgement into the E-Traders’ account.
She said on Aug. 2, 2021, the 2nd defendant (Abba Adaudu) withdrew the sum of N300,000 from the account, but on the same day, he lodged into the E-Traders account the sum of N30 million.
She, however, agreed with the lawyer that on the occasions when lodgements and withdrawals were made the same day, the amount paid in was greater than the amount withdrawn.
“Out of all these lodgements and withdrawals you went through from the last adjourned date and today, the name, Ali Bello, didn’t feature in any of this,” the lawyer asked, and the witness responded in the affirmative.
When Aliyu began to ask the witness questions on ARY account statements between 2017 and 2022, EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SSN, objected, insisting that the bank entries before the court only began from 2021.
However, Aliyu disagreed with Oyedepo, arguing that while being led in evidence in chief, the witness made reference to account statements covering 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, and that it was their right too to cross-examine her based on her evidence.
Justice Egwuatu, who adjourned the matter until July 1 and July 2 for continuation of the trial, said the questions were for the “witness to respond if the entry is in the exhibit before her or not.”
Bello is standing trial on money laundering charges involving the alleged diversion of about N3 billion belonging to the Kogi government and its local governments.
He faces 18 counts of money laundering alongside his co-defendants —Abba Adaudu, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege, Iyada Sadat, and Rashida Bello.
