Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, has firmly denied the circulating reports suggesting that he entered into a non-prosecution plea bargain agreement with the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
Fagbemi made this clear on Sunday in response to a report claiming that Emefiele and the Federal Government had engaged in a plea bargain negotiation. It was suggested that the final step awaited President Bola Tinubu’s signature to formalize the agreement.
Emefiele and his associates had been scheduled for arraignment in connection with alleged procurement fraud amounting to N6.9 billion at the Federal Capital Territory High Court back in August.
But the case had been stalled to date, fuelling speculations he had opted for a plea bargain with the Federal Government on the matter.
However, Fagbemi said in a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the Ministry of Justice, Modupe Ogundoro, that the report was false.
The AGF said no such agreement exists between his office and the embattled former CBN governor.
The statement read, “The attention of the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has been drawn to reports alleging that the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and the Federal Government of Nigeria, have agreed to a non-prosecution plea bargain arrangement.
“The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice hereby state clearly that these reports are completely false.
“It would be noted that the legal team representing Godwin Emefiele had expressed its intention in court at the last hearing to initiate a plea bargain arrangement. However, no such arrangement has been reached with Mr. Godwin Emefiele or his representatives.
“We wish to advise the media and members of the public to kindly disregard the said false report. The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice will continue to take all actions in the interest of the Nigerian public.”
