Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on Tuesday asked a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court to foreclose his prosecution for alleged procurement fraud following the absence of the prosecution in court.
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Emefiele is facing a 20-count charge before Justice Hamza Muazu, sitting at Maitama, Abuja, brought by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF). The charges relate to criminal breach of trust, conferring corrupt advantage, forgery, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, and obtaining money by false pretence during his tenure as CBN governor.
Among other allegations, Emefiele is accused of using his position to award six contracts for the supply of vehicles to April 1616, a company in which Sa’adatu Ramalan Yaro, a CBN staff member, is a director and shareholder, between 2018 and 2022, amounting to N1.2 billion. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment.
At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Emefiele’s counsel, Mathew Burkaa SAN, urged the court to foreclose the trial due to the failure of the prosecution the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to appear in court despite being aware of the date since June 27, before the court went on its annual vacation.
Burkaa told the court that the matter was slated for continuation of trial, but prosecuting counsel Rotimi Oyedepo SAN was absent and not represented by another lawyer. He further noted that he had been informed by the court registrar via WhatsApp of a purported letter of adjournment, allegedly sent by the EFCC, which he argued had no authority over the AGF-led charge.
The senior advocate questioned why none of the prosecuting team appeared despite previously requesting an accelerated hearing. He added that Emefiele and his lawyers had travelled from Lagos to attend the trial.
Justice Muazu, after listening to Burkaa, granted the prosecution one last opportunity to appear, warning that the court would take appropriate action should they fail to do so. The case was adjourned to October 22 for continuation of trial.
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