The ex-Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, refutes allegations of opening 593 foreign bank accounts.
In a statement titled “Re; Emefiele, others stole billions, illegally kept Nigeria’s funds in foreign banks,” issued on Sunday in response to a report by Private Investigator Jim Obazee on the CBN’s affairs, Emefiele denies involvement in the opening of the said accounts and claims ignorance about their existence.
The leaked report by Obazee asserts that Emefiele opened 593 accounts globally and acquired three domestic commercial banks.
Emefiele’s statement clarifies that he lacks knowledge about the foreign accounts and their fixed deposits, asserting that CBN’s relevant departments have the authority to undertake such activities within their lawful mandate.
Insisting on a thorough and transparent investigation into the alleged fraud, Emefiele has instructed lawyers to initiate legal proceedings to clear his name from the defamatory statements contained in the report.
He said: “The final issue that I will like to respond to is the issue of the 593 accounts which were purportedly opened in different parts of the world. I state categorically that I am not involved in the opening of these accounts and I do not have knowledge of their openings. The fixed deposits in those foreign accounts are definitely outside my knowledge.
“However, let me state clearly, that the relevant departments of the CBN have the authority to carry out such activities in line with their lawful mandate within the CBN.
“I therefore join well-meaning Nigerians who have spoken on this matter and have demanded a thorough and transparent investigation of all these alleged frauds.
“Meanwhile, I have instructed my lawyers to immediately commence the legal process to clear my name from the defamatory statements contained in the report and by extension the publications.”
