- Why FG Is Filing Fresh 20-Count Amended Charges Against Ex-CBN Gov
- Fresh Charges Include Criminal Breach Of Trust, Forgery, Procurement Fraud, Others
- Emefiele Secures Court’s Permission To Travel Out Of FCT
For former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, there is no end in sight to his ongoing travails.
The Matrix gathers that the Federal Government will today Friday, January 19, 2024 at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, file an amended 20-Count Charge against the embattled ex-CBN governor after fresh investigations revealed that the embattled CBN former governor fraudulently awarded contracts to Emefiele’s wife, Omoile Margret, his brother-in-law, Omoile Macombo & other associates.
READ ALSO: Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal, Morocco Hunt For Glory As AFCON Gets Underway In Cote D’ Ivoire
The amended charges against Emefiele now include criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, procurement fraud and conspiracy to commit felony among others.
The amended 20-count charge dated January 17, 2024 was filed by counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Oyedepo and three others on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Count 1 of the charge reads, “Conferring corrupt advantage contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000″
The particulars of the offence are that “You, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, male, adult, sometime in 2019 did use your position as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to confer a corrupt advantage on Sa’aclatu Ramallan Yaro, a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria by awarding a contract for the supply of 37 (Nos.) Toyota Hilux Vehicles at the cost of N854,700,000 only to April 1616 Investment Ltd, a company in which the said Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro is a Director and you thereby committed an offence.”
READ ALSO: Kiyaramo Urges BRACED Governors To Develop Regional Tourism
Count 7: “Conferring corrupt advantage contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.”
The offence particulars are “That you, Godwin Ifeanyi Emeiele, male, adult, sometime in December, 2014 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did use your position as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to confer a corrupt advantage on your wife, Omoile Margret, and brother-in-law Omoile Macombo by awarding a contract for the total renovation of the CBN Governor’s Residence lying, being and situate at No. 2 Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos in the sum of Eighty Two Million, Eighty-Six Thousand, One Hundred and Twenty-Nine Naira, Thirty Kobo (N 82,086,129.30) to Messrs. Architekon Nigeria Limited, a company wherein the duo are directors and majority shareholders and you thereby committed an offence”.
Count 17: “Conspiracy to commit felony to wit: forgery contrary to section 96 (1) and punishable under section 364 of the Penal Code Law, Cap 89 Laws of the Federation, 1990”.
In the amended charge, Emefiele was accused of obtaining the sum of $6.2 million by pretence by falsely representing the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF.
The government said the offence was contrary to Section 1(1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
READ ALSO: Buhari: Why I didn’t sack ex-CBN gov Emefiele
The offence particulars are, “That you, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele male, adult, and Odoh, Eric Ocheme (Still at large) sometime in January, 2023 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court agreed amongst yourselves to cause to be done an illegal act to wit: forgery of a document titled: RE: Presidential Directive On Foreign Election Observer Missions dated 26 January, 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201 and you thereby committed an offence”.
Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Thursday approved Emefiele’s request to travel out of Abuja.
The court, however, specified that Emefiele must stay within the country, adhering to the bail terms that restrict his movements to the Federal Capital Territory.
Emefiele, through his lawyer, Mathew Bukka, SAN, had requested a variation of the terms.
The Counsel of the EFCC, Oyedepo, SAN, did not object.
He told the court to ensure that Emefiele wrote an undertaking that he would remain in the country if his plea was granted.
The court had on December 24, 2023 granted Emefiele bail in sum of N300 million with two sureties in like sum.
It would be recalled that last June, Emefiele was first taken into custody by the Department of State Services (DSS) following his suspension as the CBN governor by President Bola Tinubu.
Confirming the arrest of Emefiele at the time, the DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya had said, “The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby confirms that Mr Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is now in its custody for some investigative reasons.
“The public, particularly the Media, is enjoined to apply utmost caution in the reportage and narratives concerning this.”
After his arrest, Emefiele had approached the FCT High Court in Abuja, challenging his detention by the DSS.
While delivering ruling on the fundamental human right suit file by Emefiele, Justice Hamza Muazu had issued a one-week ultimatum to DSS to either charge him to Court or set him free.
