Emefiele: FG amends, raises charges against him to 20

The Federal Government has again amended the charges against the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, raising them from six to 20.

The amended charges include conferring a corrupt advantage, criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, procurement fraud, and conspiracy to commit felony, among others.

Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has granted Emefiele’s request to travel out of Abuja.

Emefiele, through his lawyer, Mr. Mathew Bukka (SAN), had requested a variation of the terms in his bail conditions.

Persecondnews reports that at the proceedings on Thursday, Mr. Bukka urged the court to grant the prayers of his Emefiele, as he assured the court that he would not jump bail if the restriction was lifted.

The judge, Justice Hamza Muazu, held in his ruling that Mr. Emefiele must remain in the country pending the conclusion of his trial.

He said: “The defendant’s application is hereby granted. He must remain in the country for the pendency of his trial.”

Persecondnews recalls that on November 22, 2023, Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court granted Emefiele bail in the sum of N300 million with two sureties in like sum.

Justice Muazu added that the sureties must have landed property in the Maitama District of the FCT.

The judge also ordered the former CBN governor not to leave the court’s jurisdiction and directed him to deposit all his travel documents with the court.

Persecondnews reports that before he was granted bail on November 22, 2023, the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had earlier granted him bail in the sum of N20 million in August.

The embattled apex bank chief, who has been in detention since he was suspended from office on June 9, 2023, is being accused of conferring corrupt advantages on Yaro, a director at April 1616 Investment Ltd., an offence that is contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

Emefiele was also said to have conferred a corrupt advantage on Yaro by awarding a contract for the supply of one Toyota Avalon at the cost of N99.9 million to her company, April1616 Investment Ltd., in 2019.

The ex-CBN governor was said to have conspired with Yaro to confer corrupt advantages on the CBN staffer by awarding her a contract for the supply of two Toyota Hilux Shell specification vehicles at the cost of N44.2 million sometime in 2020.

Emefiele was further alleged to have awarded another contract to Yaro and her firm for the purchase of one Toyota Landcruiser VXR valued at N96 million in 2020.

Yaro was similarly accused of fraudulent acquisition of property for getting a contract from the CBN for the supply of 47 Toyota Hilux vehicles at the cost of N1,085,700,000 and thereby committing a punishable offence.

In the charges signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Abubakar; Deputy Director, Public Prosecution, Mrs. Nkiru Jones-Nebo; and eight other ministry officials, the three accused persons were alleged to have bought a fleet of over 98 exotic vehicles and armoured buses valued at about N6.9 billion.

Some of the vehicles reported to have been bought between 2018 and 2020 included 84 Toyota Hilux vehicles, 10 armoured Mercedes-Benz buses, three Toyota Landcruisers, and one Toyota Avalon car.