Alhaji Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi State, on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 pleaded with a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to adjourn the ongoing case of fraud and money laundry instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) indefinitely.
The embattled former governor also prayed the court to vacate its arrest order on him, pending the determination of an appeal he filed at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.
Yahaya Bello’s demands were contained in a letter written by his lawyer, Musa Yakubu, SAN, dated July 12, 2024 and addressed to the trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, ahead of his arraignment slated for Wednesday, July 17, 2024.
Bello, who is being tried for allegedly laundering over N80 billion requested in the letter that further proceedings in the charge should be adjourned sine die, pending the determination of the appeal currently pending at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
The letter, which was copied the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, was in response to a letter to Justice Nwite by the EFCC dated July 8, and filed on July 10, 2024.
In the letter, the EFCC requested a variation of the earlier warrant of arrest issued against Bello, therefore requested that the various security agencies be specifically directed to carry out the earlier arrest.
But, responding to the EFCC’s application, Musa Yakubu, SAN, Counsel to Bello, urged the court to decline the request and await the outcome of the appeal pending at the Court of Appeal over the said warrant of arrest and other related pronouncements of the trial court.
Yakubu made reference to the position of the law as contained in Order 4 Rule 11(1) of the Court of Appeal Rules, 2021, and the pronouncement of the Supreme Court in the case of Vab Petroleum INC V. Momah (Supra), and a litany of other cases.
Yakubu said; “We respectfully urge the court to set aside and expunge from its records, the proceedings of the 27th June 2024, including any ruling, order or directive carried out in the face of the defendant’s appeal entered on the 24th of May, 2024”.
The Counsel to Bello therefore asked the court to adjourn further proceedings in this charge sine die, pending the determination of Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CR/536/2024 entered by the defendant, and pending at the Court of Appeal, Abuja.
