The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, has dashed the hopes of Yahaya Bello to face his N80.2bn fraud trial in Kogi, faulting the former Governor’s application.
According to Premium Times, the Chief Judge stated his reason for the refusal to transfer the case to Lokoja, the capital of Mr Bello’s home state in a letter dated 2 July, 2024.
Citing a pending appeal regarding the request for the transfer, Mr Tsoho said it is improper to preempt the decision of the Court of Appeal.
The Chief Judge said he had reviewed the arguments of both the defence and the prosecution in support of and against the request to come to his conclusion.
He maintained that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was right to file the case in the Abuja division of the court.
“The main complaint in the case borders on alleged conversion and transfer of funds of Kogi State to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to purchase property through acts of concealment,” the letter signed by Special Assistant to the Chief Judge, Joshua Ibrahim-Aji, read in part.
The letter noted that the law permits filing the charge either in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) – Abuja, or Lokoja, “the offence(s) having been allegedly partly committed in both places.”
