Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was finally arraigned by the Federal Government on Friday, November 17, at the Special High Court of the Federal Capital for alleged corruption
The original charges of 20 counts and N6.5 billion were reduced to 6 counts and N1.6 billion. Emefiele is the only defendant on these new charges.
The trial has been stalled three times so far: on Wednesday, November 15, due to nationwide strike action by organized labor.
Today, November 17, defendant Emefiele was brought to court for arraignment by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mathew Bulukaah, following a court order.
Former President Emefiele, who was accused of giving corrupt concessions to CBN official Ms. Saadat Ramalan Yaro through the execution of various contracts, denied six counts of the charges.
Senior Advocate General of Nigeria, Barrister Rotimi Oyedepo, led the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is prosecuting the defendants on behalf of the federal government.
According to the amended indictment, the charges still stem from procurement fraud. The federal government alleges that defendant Emefiele illegally purchased 43 vehicles (worth N1.2 billion) between 2018 and 2020. He is also accused of ordering a procurement contract for 37 Toyota Hilux vehicles (worth N854 million).
Count 1 states, “You, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele (adult, male), sometime in 2018, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, used your position as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to confer illicit benefits on Sa’adatu Lamaran Yaro (an employee of the Central Bank of Nigeria), To Saadatu Ramalan Yaro, an employee of the Central Bank of Nigeria, solely to April1616 Investment Ltd, a company of which Saadatu Ramalan Yaro, an employee of the Central Bank of Nigeria, is a director, for the sum of N854.7 million for 37 Toyota Hilux vehicles and thereby committing a crime by awarding a contract to supply at ”
In the second count, Emefiele used his position to “award a contract to Yaro, an official of the Central Bank of Nigeria, to supply one Toyota Avalon for N99,900,000 only to April1616 Investment Ltd, a company of which Saadatu Lamaran Yaro is a director. He was accused of corruptly giving the benefit of “placing an order and thereby committing a crime.
He was also accused of ordering a contract to supply one Toyota Land Cruiser V8 April16 Investment Ltd. for N73 million in 2019, thereby corruptly giving rise to a gain contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The fourth count related to a N73.8 million Toyota Land Cruiser V8 illegally awarded to April1616 Investment Ltd.
The Federal Government further charged that the former CBN governor signed a contract to supply two Toyota Hilux Shell-spec vehicles to Yaro for N44,200,000 in 2020.
Judge Hamza Mouaz of the Federal Capital High Court postponed ruling on Emefiele’s bail application to November 22 and the start of his trial to November 28.
In the meantime, the judge ordered that Emefiele be detained at the Kuje Correctional Center.
