By Our Correspondent

National News – A prosecution witness in the alleged N80.2bn money laundering trial involving former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has told the Federal High Court in Abuja how millions of naira were allegedly paid in cash for the construction of a property in Maitama.

The witness, Shehu Bello, testified before Justice Emeka Nwite on Thursday during the ongoing trial filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

According to the witness, Ali Bello approached him to recommend a reliable construction company for a building project located at Plot 1891, Dala Hills, Maitama, Abuja.

He said Metro Deck Construction Company Limited was introduced for the job and that both bank transfers and cash payments were used to finance the construction.

Shehu Bello informed the court that he personally knew about three separate cash payments made in naira.

He listed the amounts as N9m, N8.5m and N5.8m.

The witness explained that the payments were allegedly connected to the Maitama property project currently under investigation in the alleged money laundering case.

The court also heard details about another property located at Plot 1058, Cadastral Zone A08, Wuse II, Abuja.

The witness stated that Ali Bello requested help in securing land for commercial development in the area.

He added that the property was eventually purchased from SFC Foods Limited for N650m through bank transfer.

During the proceedings, defence counsel Adebayo Adedeji objected after the prosecution attempted to tender the witness’s extra-judicial statements as evidence.

However, the prosecution insisted the statements were admissible since the witness had already identified and confirmed them in court.

After listening to arguments from both sides, Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the matter until June 15 for ruling on the admissibility of the statements and June 18 for continuation of the trial.