The Federal High Court in Abuja has denied an application by former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to halt proceedings in the N80.2 billion fraud case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Bello’s counsel sought to stay the case pending the outcome of his appeal at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.
Justice Emeka Nwite had scheduled a ruling on the EFCC’s application to hold Bello’s lawyers, Ademola Adedipe and Abdulwahab Mohammed, in contempt of court.
The lawyers had failed to produce Bello in court on several occasions despite undertakings to do so.
On Wednesday, Bello’s counsel prayed the court to stay proceedings due to the pending appeals at the Court of Appeal, challenging the court’s jurisdiction. However, the EFCC’s counsel, Dr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, objected, describing the application as an attempt to arrest the court’s ruling.
The court agreed with Pinheiro and dismissed the application.
Justice Nwite also directed the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) to investigate the defense counsel for professional misconduct. The Judge found that the lawyers had failed to treat the court with dignity and had engaged in acts capable of bringing the court into disrepute.
