Alleged N80.2bn Fraud: EFCC Raises Contempt Charges against Yahaya Bello’s Counsel

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has raised contempt charges against two defence counsel in the N80.2billion alleged money laundering charges against a former governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello.

Bello is facing prosecution alongside his nephew, Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu on 19-count charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88k(Eighty Billion, Two Hundred and Forty Six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Eighty-Nine Naira and Eighty-eight kobo).

At the resumed hearing of the matter on Thursday, June 27, 2024, EFCC’s lead counsel, Kemi Pinhero, SAN, prayed the court to exercise disciplinary actions against Abdulwahab Mohammed, SAN and Adeola Adedipe, SAN for reneging on their undertaking to produce the former governor for arraignment.

“My application is to invite them and show cause why my Lordship will not deal with them for professional misconduct. My Lord, since Adedipe is here, my Lord should deal with him to remove him from the inner bar and deal with him summarily in the dock. It is a serious responsibility.

Our rules of professional conduct 2023, rule 32 sub 33 states that, ‘a lawyer who fails to comply with any undertaking by him either personally or to his client, aside from being in contempt of court, is prima facie guilty of professional misconduct”, he said. He prayed the court to hold the two counsel for contempt to serve as a lesson to other lawyers.

Mohammed and Adedipe had at different times taken an undertaking to produce the suspect in court without any success.

At Thursday’s proceedings, Adedipe informed the court of a letter allegedly written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court requesting the matter to be transferred to the Lokoja Judicial Division, stressing that there was need for the matter to have a territorial jurisdiction.