The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, granted the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, bail in the sum of N500 million with two sureties in like sum after the former governor had pleaded not guilty to the 19-count charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He is facing an alleged money laundering trial to the tune of N80bn but pleaded not guilty to all the charges when the case was called for hearing, on Friday, Counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, notified the court of the intention of the Prosecution to withdraw an earlier application for abridgment of the earlier date fixed for arraignment.
He said the application had been overtaken by events. The Defendant’s Counsels, led by Joseph Daudu, SAN, did not object and Justice Emeka Nwite, accordingly granted the request.
After the Defendants had taken his plea, Daudu SAN made clarifications on the reasons he had not been in court during the previous hearings.
“I would like to place on record that for any impression that might have been created that the Defendant did not wish to appear before your lordship, coincidentally, the ruling on my lord’s sitting this morning dealt with the issue of jurisdiction.
“What the Defendant did was to ask his counsel to challenge the jurisdiction of the court, which is to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
While moving y application for bail, he assured that the former Governor would always be present in court for the trial.
He commended the Prosecution Counsel, saying he had conducted himself in the best tradition because the matter was not a do-or-die one adding thar they had agreed that the counsels would not stress his lordship over the issue of bail and the Prosecution Counsel concurred.
Pinheiro, said, “I must express my honour to the very eminent lead senior counsel. He is a man of immense stature, not because of his size.I also note that your lordship had delivered not less than five rulings in this matter and it is our aim to ease the work.
We are prosecutors not persecutors and EFCC is a professional commission, a prosecutorial and not prosecutorial commission,” he said.
The Prosecution Counsel said though they had filed a counter-affidavit, they would not oppose the bail, going by the assurances of the learned SAN.
Ruling on the bail application, Justice Nwite said, “I have listened to the submissions of both counsels. It is not in dispute that both counsels have filed applications in respect of this.
“Sureties must be landed property owners within the jurisdiction of this court. They must swear to affidavit of means. The title deeds of priority to be verified by the court registrar,” he said.
The Defendant was also asked to submit his international passport while he would remain at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the perfection of the bail conditions, he was earlier remanded in a fresh N110bn charge by the EFCC, pending his bail application.
Garry Ochigbo, Edited By Grace Namiji
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