The trial of Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), at a federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Maitama has been adjourned to June 24. During the recent session, neither the prosecution counsel nor the defendant appeared in court, with Emefiele being represented by one of his counsels.
I.D Ahmed, representing the defendant, informed the court of a letter from the prosecution seeking an adjournment and apologized for Emefiele’s absence.
Presiding judge Hamza Muazu emphasized the importance of the defendant’s presence in court despite the prosecution’s request for adjournment. The trial is set to resume on June 24 and 25.
The federal government amended the charges against Emefiele on January 18, increasing the counts from six to 20. The amended charges include allegations of criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, procurement fraud, and conspiracy to commit a felony.
In a previous hearing, the court modified Emefiele’s bail condition, allowing him to travel within Nigeria but prohibiting international travel during the case proceedings.
Among the charges, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleged that Emefiele forged a document titled: “RE: PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE ON FOREIGN ELECTION OBSERVER MISSIONS,” dated January 26, 2023. The EFCC accused Emefiele of knowingly making false claims, constituting an offense under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
According to the amended charge, Emefiele allegedly colluded with Odoh Ocheme, now a fugitive, to obtain $6.2m from the CBN on February 8, 2023, falsely claiming it was requested by the SGF via a letter dated January 26, 2023.
Meanwhile, the EFCC has also declared Magaret, Emefiele’s wife, wanted for money laundering.
