The Federal High Court in Abuja has postponed the amended money laundering case involving Ali Bello and Daudu Sulaiman to June 19 for the continuation of trial.

During the hearing, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented Olom Otane Egoro, a staff of Access Bank, as its sixth prosecution witness. Egoro testified that the EFCC requested and received bank statements, account opening mandates, and certificates of compliance related to the Kogi State Government House account.

The prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, tendered these documents as evidence, which the court admitted. Defense counsels Abubakar Aliyu, SAN, and Olusegun Jolaawo, SAN, objected to the admissibility but reserved their arguments for the final address stage.

Egoro presented the bank statements and detailed the deposits and withdrawals made from the account between 2018 and 2021. He noted that withdrawals never exceeded N10 million at any given time. However, the witness did not provide information regarding the source or purpose of the transactions.

Initially scheduled for May 7, the trial was adjourned due to Aliyu’s request for an adjournment based on health grounds. The court also vacated the scheduled date of May 8. With the agreement of all counsels, Justice James Omotosho adjourned the case until June 19 and 20 for the continuation of the trial.

Ali Bello and Dauda Suleiman are charged with 10 counts of money laundering. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them by the EFCC.