A prosecution witness in the ongoing alleged money laundering trial involving former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has told the court that the ex-governor was not involved in the property transactions currently before the court.
The 17th witness called by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Shehu Bello Bala, disclosed this on Wednesday during cross-examination by counsel to the defendant, Paul Daudu, SAN.
Bala, a commodity trader, said the former governor was not part of any of the transactions relating to the properties in question. He also stated that the second defendant did not participate in the transactions.
According to the witness, one Farouk Bello acted as the agent involved in the property dealings.
During the proceedings, Bala confirmed that title documents, including the deed of assignment and power of attorney, were returned to Efab Estate by Farouk Bello.
The witness had earlier told the court that he was not related to Ali Bello and Farouk Bello, whom he mentioned during his examination-in-chief. He also clarified that he was not from Kogi State and had no relationship with the former governor.
Bala, who identified himself as a businessman from Katsina State, said he met Ali Bello about 14 years ago through commodity trading.
“I knew Ali Bello in the course of my business, which is commodity trading. We have done quite a number of businesses, including buying grains from the North. We buy ginger and other products from the North and sell them,” he said.
He added that their business relationship began around 2012 and 2013, noting that he was also aware Ali Bello was involved in real estate.
When asked by counsel to the second and third defendants, A.M. Aliyu, SAN, whether he knew the third defendant, Bala said he did not and maintained that the individual was not involved in the transactions.
The witness further told the court that by the time the title documents were returned to Efab Estate, Farouk Bello, who was his father’s friend, had died.
He explained that someone approached him with documents relating to the property, claiming they wanted to sell it, but he could not confirm whether the person was Farouk Bello’s son.
Bala said he subsequently returned the documents to the chairman of Efab Estate, where it was discovered that the property was under investigation.
The witness also stated that the second property not marked by the EFCC was the one purchased by Farouk Bello.
During questioning, defence counsel suggested that Ali Bello inherited the property from his mother, but EFCC counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, objected, stating that the witness’ testimony did not relate to inheritance.
However, the Defendant’s counsel argued that he was entitled to establish facts relevant to his defence.