By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned hearing in the money laundering case brought against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to January 21, 2025.
At the resumed hearing Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, said he had two witnesses already in court.He said his first application was to formally enter a plea of not guilty on behalf of the defendant, even in his absence.
Pinheiro SAN, in defending his application to enter a plea of not guilty for the Defendant, said “the right to plead guilty or not guilty is a right that can be waved by the defendant.
Michael Adoyi, who appeared for the Defendant, however kicked against this, saying that the Prosecution’s application was made contrary to a subsisting order of Justice Emeka Nwite’s courtThe Defendant’s Counsel noted that the prosecution’s application could not be anchored on any of the provisions of the ACJA, 2015 that he had cited, as those provisions do not excuse the need for physical presence of the defendant and urged the court to refuse the application Justice Nwite, therefore adjourned to 21st January for ruling on the application by the EFCC and for arraignment.
Counsel to the defendant, had told the court that the issue of arraignment of the defendant was the subject matter of an appeal entered by the defendant at the Supreme Court.
He said the court has to wait for the decision of the Supreme Court in the appeal before taking any step for arraignment so as not to pull the rug off the feet of the Supreme Court.