The Federal High Court has declined former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello's request to transfer his ₦80.2bn fraud case to Kogi State. The court emphasized that the matter should be resolved in open court due to pending appeals and jurisdictional issues.
In a significant judicial decision, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, has refused to transfer the ₦80.2 billion fraud trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello from Abuja to Kogi State. This judgment, delivered on Monday, directed that the transfer request by Bello, concerning the alleged money laundering case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), must be presented in open court.
In a letter addressed to Bello’s lawyers, Abdul-Wahab Muhammed and Musa Yakubu, the chief judge highlighted a pending appeal in the case titled "Yahaya Adoza Bello VS FRN." The appeal seeks a consequential order remitting the case to the chief judge for reassignment. Justice Tsoho emphasized that taking any step before the appeal's resolution would be improper, as it could preempt the outcome.
The chief judge pointed out that the main issue was jurisdictional, which is best decided by the court in an open session. He further noted that the primary offense involves the conversion of Kogi State funds to purchase properties in Abuja, justifying the filing of the charge in either Abuja or Lokoja. This aligns with two ongoing cases before the Federal High Court, where similar transfer requests were previously denied.
Governor Bello, through his counsel Adeola Adedipe (SAN), had argued that the alleged offenses occurred in Lokoja and thus preferred the trial to be held there. However, the EFCC, represented by lead counsel Dr. Kemi Pinheiro, opposed the transfer request, describing it as an attempt to derail the trial. Pinheiro urged the court to hold Bello’s counsel responsible for their client’s absence and requested that they be cited for contempt of court.
The court has scheduled July 17 for Bello’s arraignment and to address the EFCC’s contempt request against the senior lawyers. The EFCC aims to arraign Bello on 19 counts of alleged money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of funds amounting to ₦80.2 billion.
