Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to serve a copy of the charge against the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on his lawyer, Abdulwahab Mohamed.
ChannelsTV reports that Bello was absent from court for his arraignment on a 19-count alleged money laundering charge amounting to ₦84 billion. Citing section 384 (4 and 5) of the Administrative and Criminal Justice Act 2015, Justice Nwite ordered Bello’s counsel to receive a copy of the charge.
The court ruled that if personal service of a legal process on a defendant becomes impossible, it could be done through substituted means. Justice Nwite noted that Bello had failed to appear in court for his arraignment.
Although Bello’s lawyer, Mohammed, initially declined to accept the charges and proof of evidence, Justice Nwite compelled him to do so. The judge rejected the plea for a junior lawyer to accept the charges on Bello’s behalf.
Bello’s legal team stated that their client was willing to appear before the court to answer the 19-count charge. They urged the court to set aside the warrant of arrest, arguing that Bello had not been served the charge when the warrant was issued.
Bello had previously argued that the EFCC was an illegal organization, stating that the Federal Government did not consult the 36 states before enacting the EFCC Act.
The EFCC, represented by Kemi Pinheiro, opposed setting aside the warrant of the arrest until Bello made himself available for trial, arguing that Bello had no legal ground to file numerous applications while in hiding.