Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, rejected a request by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to 'cross-examine' its third witness in the ongoing trial of alleged money laundering case against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello. 

While delivering his ruling, Justice Nwite noted that there was no provision in law that permits the court to allow the prosecution to re-examine its witness in the manner proposed by anti-graft agency. This was just as the EFCC lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro, during the proceedings, described the case instituted against the former governor as a political case.

He emphasized that he was not prosecuting a bank official, but a political figure, one who had even aspired to contest for Presidency. He said this while arguments were being raised on whether the defence counsel would cross-examine the 4th witness when the prosecution concluded its examination at 2.30pm or wait till the next day.On the ruling against the cross-examination of PW3 by the EFCC, the judge said, "I must agree with the learned counsel to the defendant that the EFCC can only cross-examine its witness after it has declared such witness a hostile witness.

Nicholas Ojehomon, an internal auditor at the American International School, Abuja, had, at the last hearing, said there was no wired transfer of fees from the Kogi State Government or any of the local Governments in the state to the account of the American school. On cross-examination, he also read out a part of a previous Federal Capital Territory High Court judgment that said there was no court order for AISA to return fees to EFCC or any judgment declaring the money as proceeds of money laundering.

After a brief re-examination, and the withdrawal of an earlier question posed to the witness, the EFCC lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, told the court that the Commission had three other witnesses for the day. After the examination by the prosecution, the judge adjourned to tomorrow, June 27, for cross-examination by the Defendant's Counsel.