The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, re-arraigned former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, Bello Mohammed, at a Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja.

Mr Mohammed was re-arraigned before Justice Peter Lifu on a four-count charge bordering on his alleged role in the diversion of funds meant for the procurement of arms through the office of the ex-National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki.

He was arraigned alongside his company, Bam Projects and Properties Ltd., for alleged criminal breaches of trust and money laundering.

Mr Dasuki served as NSA during the former Goodluck Jonathan government.

While the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) is the complainant in the amended charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/389/2015, Bam Projects and Properties Ltd. and Bello Haliru Mohammed are 1st and 2nd defendants, respectively.

The amended charge was dated and filed on March 18 by the anti-graft counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN.

When the matter was called on Monday, the lawyer who appeared for the EFCC, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, told the court that the matter was for the defendants to take their plea and that he was ready to proceed.

He said an amended charge had been filed and the defence had been served.

Kanu Agabi, SAN, the defendants’ lawyer, confirmed the receipt of the amended charge.

After the charge was read to the defendants, they pleaded not guilty to all the counts, and Mr Atolagbe applied for a trial date.

Mr Agabi, however, prayed the court to allow Mr Mohammed to continue on the existing bail granted by Justice Ahmed Mohammed.

The senior lawyer said that Mr Mohammed did not flout the earlier bail conditions granted him and that he would not jump bail.

Although Mr Atolagbe did not oppose Mr Agabi’s application, he argued that his bail was once revoked for breaching the terms.

Mr Lifu, who admitted Mr Mohammed to the bail earlier granted by a sister court, adjourned the matter until May 7 and May 8 for trial.

In count one, the company, the ex-PDP chair and his son, Bello Abba Mohammed (now deceased), were accused of having taken possession of the sum of N300 million paid into the account of Bam Project and Properties Ltd. with Sterling Bank Plc from the account of the office of the NSA with the Central Bank of Nigeria on or about March 17, 2015.

The EFCC alleged that the funds formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity by Col. Dasuki (rtd.) and that the offence is contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended in 2012) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

Mr Mohammed was earlier arraigned before Justice Mohammed of FHC in Abuja on January 5, 2016, and was granted bail on January 7, 2016.

Although the matter had reached an advanced stage, Mr Mohammed was, however, elevated to the Court of Appeal recently, making the case to start denovo (afresh).

(NAN)