Belgore: I gave a former Kwara CP N10m during 2015 elections

Dele Belgore, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says he gave a former commissioner of police in Kwara state N10 million in cash during the 2015 general election.

Testifying before the federal high court in Lagos on Monday, Belgore gave the name of the former commissioner as Salihu Garba.

Belgore, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2015 election, is standing trial alongside Abubakar Suleiman, a former minister of national planning, on a 9-count charge bordering alleged N450 million money laundering.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accused Belgore and Suleiman of collecting N450 million from Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former minister of petroleum resources, to compromise the election.

The duo were said to have acted contrary to the provisions of the money laundering (prohibition) act, which they denied.

Belgore, however, denied knowing Diezani, saying that fund emanated from the. headquarters of the Jonathan campaign organisation in Abuja

During cross examination by Rotimi Oyedepo, EFCC’s counsel, Belgore admitted that the money he gave to the commissioner of police was from the N450m.

The senior lawyer stated that he didn’t share the money to PDP agents in the state in order to influence the election.

“I went to the bank on the 26th of March; the election was on the 28th of March, 2015. It was humanly impossible for the two of us (himself and Suleiman) to have successfully distributed the money across the state in two days,” Belgore said.

Rilwan Aikawa, the presiding judge, adjourned the case till May 15.