PARIS OLYMPIC GAMES
A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has remanded a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Rahman Oshodi, the presiding judge, ordered the ex-CBN governor’s remand until the next date of adjournment on Thursday, April 11, pending the court’s decision on his bail.
He also ordered that Emefiele’s co-defendant, Mr. Henry Omoile, be remanded at the Ikoyi Prison ahead of the ruling on his bail application on Thursday.
The court ordered the remand of both men after listening to the bail applications filed by their counsel, Mr. AbdulHakeem Labi-Lawal.
While asking for Emefiele’s bail, the counsel told the court to grant Emefiele bail on self-recognition pending the hearing and determination of the case, or on the most liberal bail terms.
The council also asked the court to grant the second defendant bail on most liberal terms.
The EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), in his response, did not oppose the bail application but asked the court to exercise its discretion on it.
Persecondnews reports that the EFCC, in a fresh 26-count charge marked ID/23787c/2024 and dated April 3, 2024, alleged that Emefiele abused his office between 2022 and 2023 in Lagos.
The charges include accepting gratification, accepting gifts through agents, corruption, receiving property fraudulently obtained, and conferring corrupt advantage on his associates, contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act of 2000.
One of the charges reads: “That you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE, between 2022 and 2023, in Lagos, directed to be done in abuse of the authority of your office, as the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, an arbitrary act, to wit: allocating foreign exchange in the aggregate sum of $2,136,391,737.33 (two billion, one hundred and thirty-six million, three hundred and ninety-one thousand, seven hundred and thirty-seven dollars, thirty-three cents) without bids, which act is prejudicial to the rights of Nigerians.”
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