A Federal High Court in Abuja has given Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), until January 25th to appear in court and provide an explanation regarding the 53 million dollar-judgment debt stemming from the Pars Club refund. Justice Inyang Ekwo delivered a brief ruling on Tuesday, extending the deadline for Emefiele’s appearance and warning that an arrest warrant could be issued if he fails to comply.
Emefiele’s counsel, Audu Anuga, SAN, informed the court that efforts to secure Emefiele’s presence in court had been unsuccessful, as he was currently in custody. An affidavit regarding the reasons for Emefiele’s absence, filed on October 30th, was presented to the court. Justice Ekwo asked if the affidavit had been served to the lawyer representing the judgment creditor, Mr Joe Agi, SAN. The lawyer responded that they were served late on Monday and requested time to react.
The judge cautioned Anuga about the late filing of documents, reminding him that the matter had been pending since July 19th. Anuga explained that every possible attempt had been made to secure Emefiele’s release, but the court order had not been complied with. He expressed a desire to explore a settlement option, given that discussions had been ongoing prior to the appointment of a new governor for the CBN.
However, Justice Ekwo insisted that Emefiele must appear at the next adjourned hearing. The judge stated that contempt proceedings apply to a person, regardless of whether they are physically present or not. He emphasized that court orders must be obeyed, even if no one else complies with them. The matter was subsequently adjourned until January 25th, allowing Emefiele time to show cause for why an arrest warrant should not be issued against him.
In an affidavit deposed on Emefiele’s behalf by Jeremiah Utaan, a legal officer in the Legal Department of the CBN, it was explained that Emefiele’s continuous detention by the State Security Service (SSS) prevented him from physically appearing in court on July 19th. Utaan emphasized that Emefiele’s absence was not meant as a disrespect to the court, but was due to circumstances beyond his control. The affidavit stated that issuing an arrest warrant would not serve the cause of justice.
The court had previously threatened to issue an arrest warrant against Emefiele on July 19th due to his non-appearance. Justice Ekwo had expressed a willingness to exercise restraint in the proceedings, allowing the ex-CBN governor an opportunity to provide an explanation. The case was initially brought before the court by Joe Agi, SAN, who sought a garnishee order for the payment of a judgment debt in his favor against Linas International Ltd, the Minister of Finance, the CBN, and Emefiele.
Despite multiple adjournments, the necessary proceedings did not take place on January 18th, prompting a further adjournment until March 20th. Again, the hearing did not proceed as scheduled, leading to another adjournment to June 6th. Eventually, Emefiele was ordered to appear in court on July 19th. However, his suspension as CBN governor by President Bola Tinubu on June 9th, with responsibilities being transferred to the Deputy Governor, Operations Directorate, disrupted the proceedings.
Shortly after his suspension, Emefiele was arrested and detained by the State Security Service on June 10th. Later, on October 26th, he was detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged impropriety during his tenure as the head of the apex bank. The case continues.
source: NAN
