The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, on Friday, fixed March 18 for ruling in the trial-within-trial being conducted in the money laundering case involving Ali Bello, the Chief of Staff (CoS) to Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi and a co-defendant, Dauda Suleiman.

Justice James Omotosho fixed the date after lawyers to parties made their final submissions and adopted the final written addresses in the trial-within-trial.

Messrs Bello and Suleiman are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly laundering about N10 billion said to belong to the state.

The trial-within-trial was conducted to ascertain the voluntariness or otherwise of the extra-judicial statements made by the defendants during investigation.

The defendants had objected to the decision by the prosecution to tender the eight statements, claiming that they were put under duress and threatened before making the statements.

In his final submission, lawyer to Mr Bello, K. C. Wisdom, urged the court to hold that the extra-judicial system of the 1st defendant was not voluntarily obtained. 

Mr Wisdom prayed the court to reject the statements in evidence.

Also in his submission, Mr Suleiman’s lawyer, Olusegun Jolaawo, SAN, urged the court to hold that the statements were made in contravention of Section 15(4) and 17(2) of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

However, EFCC’ lawyer, Abdullahi Mohammed, prayed the court to admit in evidence the six statements made by Mr Bello and the two by Mr Suleiman on the grounds that the statements were made by the defendants voluntarily.

(NAN)