N80.2bn fraud’: Kogi government withdrawals under Yahaya Bello didn’t breach banking laws, witness tells court

‘N80.2bn fraud’: Kogi government withdrawals under Yahaya Bello didn’t breach banking laws, witness tells court

A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told a federal high court in Abuja that withdrawals made by the Kogi state government during the regime of Yahaya Bello, the former governor, did not violate any banking regulation.

Mshelia Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, appeared as the fourth prosecution witness in the ongoing money laundering trial of Bello.

Bello is facing a 19-count charge of alleged money laundering amounting to N80.2 billion.

During cross-examination on Monday before Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, Bata said Bello’s name did not appear as a beneficiary in the state account tendered as evidence.