Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has once again failed to appear in court for his trial concerning an alleged N80.2 billion fraud case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Bello was scheduled to be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 19-count charge, according to the court’s cause list for today. However, his absence led to a dispute between the lawyers involved.
A new hearing date has been set for June 27 at the request of the EFCC’s legal team. At the resumed hearing on Thursday, Bello’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, informed the court that EFCC lawyers had previously contacted Aliyu AbdulWahab, SAN, the defendant’s counsel, indicating that the June 13 date was inconvenient for them. According to Adedipe, AbdulWahab agreed to reschedule for a more convenient date. Adedipe expressed surprise upon discovering that EFCC lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo was present in court.
Adedipe stated, “They (EFCC) agreed that a junior counsel would be sent to court today to formally set a new date. And the registry can confirm this.” He added, “Kemi Pinhero, SAN, has been calling us to say today is not convenient.” Kemi Pinhero is the lead counsel.
Bello was reportedly prepared to appear in court on Thursday but did not need to due to the EFCC’s decision to seek an adjournment. Under section 266 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), there are instances when defendants are not required to appear, and this situation falls under that provision. Adedipe noted, “We came here to pick a date. What purpose would the defendant’s presence serve? It is the prosecuting counsel who approached us; we did not approach them. We have nothing to hide.”
The court has now scheduled the hearing for June 27, where the alleged money laundering case against Bello will continue.