By Matthew Denis
The embattled Former Governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello has dragged the Economic and Financial Crime Commission to the Supreme Court over what he described as vendetta on Wednesday.
The Former Governor who shunned the proceedings of the Federal High Court in Abuja scheduled for his arraignment on N80.2 billion money laundering charges.
The arraignment has been rescheduled multiple times due to Mr. Bello’s repeated absences from court.
It made the seventh court session on Wednesday that Mr Bello has snubbed since the first attempt by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arraign him in April.
The adjournment came as Bello moved to the Supreme Court to file an appeal seeking to set aside the arrest warrant issued by the trial court on April 17.
At the day’s proceedings, counsel to Bello, A.M. Adoyi, drew the court’s attention to the fact that the issue of arraignment of the defendant was the subject matter of an appeal already entered by him at the Supreme Court.
He said he would like to draw the court’s attention to the appeal by virtue of the affidavit of record filed on September 23.
He added that the appropriate thing to do was to wait for the decision of the Supreme Court in the aforesaid appeal before taking any step for arraignment so as not to render the appellant’s appeal null, or to pull the rug out from under the feet of the Supreme Court.
Counsel for the EFCC and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro, however, told the court that the defendant’s counsels were turning the court into a place for entertainment.
He added that an appeal that the defendant filed at the court of appeal disputing the mode of service of the charge and proof of evidence on their counsel was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on the 28th of August this year.
“The appellant shall not take any further step until he submits himself. But they took another step.”
Arguing against the Defendant’s applications, Pinheiro said, they had three applications on this – two before your Lordship and one before the Supreme Court. I will now urge your Lordship to demonstrate audacity of coercive power on him.
Counsel to Bello, however, argued that the issue of the matter slated for today (Wednesday), which is the arraignment, was subject to an appeal by the defendant at the Supreme Court.
He urged that the court should await the decision of the Supreme Court on the issue in the interest of justice.
Justice Emeka Nwite said with the submission made by the counsel, he would have to decide the issues raised in one way or the other.
He said he would have to adjourn to rule on the matter.
He subsequently adjourned the matter to 30th of October for ruling and arraignment.
Meanwhile,the EFCC in a statement on Wednesday stated “it is public knowledge that a former governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello had made several unsuccessful attempts to throw spanners in his ongoing trial through some irresponsible and utterly rascally efforts.
“The appropriate place of surrender would be before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, before whom his legal team had undertaken to produce him to answer to the 18-count charges of money laundering preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.”
According to the statement, “Yahaya Bello should be more interested in clearing his name than playing the victim and crying persecution, where none exists. To even insinuate that he was the target of a phantom assassination attempt because the EFCC made efforts to effect his arrest at the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge where he had been hiding is preposterous. It is the first time in the Commission’s more than two decades existence that such a jejune claim would be made. This is no more than scaremongering, intended to scandalise the Commission.
“But EFCC is not deterred by this, and other shenanigans by the ex-governor. The Commission remains committed to ensuring that the law takes its course in the money laundering charges already filed against Yahaya Bello in Court.
“EFCC is eager to engage the former governor in the courtroom where the avalanche of evidence so painstakingly assembled can be presented and arguments marshalled for justice to be served to all parties involved in this saga.
“The true test of Yahaya Bello’s willingness to abide by the law in the criminal proceedings instituted against him at the Federal High Court Abuja by the EFCC is to present himself to the court in obedience to the order of Justice Nwite. His presence in court is the only step that will convince Nigerians that his touted submission to the EFCC which was widely reported in the media on September 18, was not a stunt.”
It added that “till date, Bello is yet to take his plea in the alleged N80.2 billion money laundering charges preferred against him before Justice Nwite. His invasion of the corporate headquarters of the Commission with a retinue of security details, hand-to-hand cahoots and carriage with a sitting governor having immunity, unwarranted media blitz, scripted sleight of hands unknown to the public and other backend intelligence available to the Commission, compelled a tactical rebuff of his touted surrender offer.”