Former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has been granted N500million bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja after pleading not guilty to the charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The court granted Bello bail with two sureties in like sum.
The former governor is facing a 19-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of N80 billion.
The defendant is accused of diverting public funds to acquire property at home and abroad.
When the charge was read to Bello by an official of the court, he said he understood all the counts and pleaded not guilty to them all.
Addressing the court, Joseph Daudu, Bello’s lawyer, said his client’s failure to show up for trial previously was not because he intended to disrespect the court.
Daudu said the decision of his client to challenge the jurisdiction of the court — up to the supreme court — was not out of contempt.
“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,” he said.
“What the defendant did was to ask his counsel to challenge the jurisdiction of the court, which got to the court of appeal and the supreme court.
“So it was not a wishful disrespect but he was only trying to defend himself. So we all hold your lordship in high esteem.
“If that impression must have been, he should not have presented himself for arraignment. That episode is gone and things are clearer now.”
Moving the bail application, Daudu assured that the former governor would always be present in court for trial.
“I am saying this with the highest sense of responsibility that the defendant, a two-term governor of Kogi state, who travelled only two times out of his eight years in service, will always be present in court at all times,” he said.
“There should be no apprehension that he will jump bail. So we urge your lordship to grant us very reasonable conditions of bail such that he will be able to bear.”
