The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has been ordered to be remanded at the Kuje correctional center by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. This decision transpired after Emefiele pleaded not guilty to six counts of corruption on Friday morning.
Judge Hamza Muazu has adjourned the hearing of Emefiele’s bail application until 20th November, following his plea of not guilty to the charges brought against him by the federal government.
The charges alleged that Emefiele illicitly purchased 43 vehicles within the period of 2018 to 2020 amounting to N1.2 billion. Additionally, he was accused of awarding a contract for the procurement of 37 Toyota Hilux Vehicles valued at N854 million. The amended case now alleges N1.6 billion fraud, as opposed to the original 20 counts involving alleged fraudulent N6.5 billion contracts.
Furthermore, the prosecution has reduced the number of defendants to only Mr. Emefiele, omitting Sa’adatu Ramallan-Yaro, a CBN staff member, and her company, April 1616 Investment Limited, from the case. Emefiele and Mrs. Ramalan-Yaro were previously accused of conspiracy and procurement fraud involving N6.9 billion, with the offenses spanning a two-year period.
Mr. Emefiele was removed from office over corruption allegations and subsequently detained for five months, before being granted bail on 8th November. During his incarceration, he was arraigned on separate charges of illegal possession of firearms, which were later withdrawn by the State Security Service. After this, the Attorney-General of the Federation charged him with N6.9 billion in corruption charges, which ultimately led to his arraignment on Friday.
The legal proceedings so far have triggered speculations of plea bargain talks with the government over the charges. However, the Attorney-General, Lateef Fagbemi, denied signing any plea agreement with Mr. Emefiele, while a source from the Federal Ministry of Justice confirmed that such plea agreement was not yet on the table.
The rescheduled proceedings finally took place on Friday, marking a significant development in the legal battle.
