When the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on May 14 arraigned former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on a fresh corruption allegation, it was the fifth of such charges against him.
The EFCC arraigned Emefiele before an FCT High Court presided by Justice Maryanne Aninih on four-count charge bordering unlawful printing of new naira notes.
Emefiele was accused of knowingly contravening the provisions of Section 19 of the CBN Act 2007, by disobeying the law to "cause injury to the public" in the printing of N375.520million pieces of colour-swapped N1,000 notes at the total cost of N11.052 billion without the recommendation of the Board of the CBN and the strict approval of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The anti-graft agency further alleged that Emefiele disobeyed Section 19 of the CBN Act "by approving the printing of 172,000,000 pieces of colour swapped N500 (five hundred naira) notes, at the total cost of N4, 471,066,040 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence."
Emefiele denied the charges and was granted bail valued at N300 million.
Justice Aninih then fixed May 28 and 29 for the trial.
Emefiele's many court cases,
The latest arraignment is the fifth criminal charge brought against Emefiele after his removal as CBN governor.
The criminal charges were sequel to three civil suits challenging Emefiele's prolonged detention after his suspension in June 2023 and three civil suits.
On July 25, 2023, the Department of State Services (DSS) filed a two-count charge of alleged unlawful possession of firearms against Emefiele before a Federal High Court in Lagos.
In the charges filed before the court, the DSS accused Emefiele of being found in possession of one single barrel shotgun (JOJEFF Magnum 8371) without licence.
He was also alleged to have 123 rounds of live ammunition (cartridges) without licence.
Both charges were alleged to be in contravention of sections 4 and 8 of the Firearms Act Cap F28 Laws of the Federation, 2004, punishable under Section 27 (1)(b)(i) of the act.
Although Justice Nicholas Oweibo granted Emefiele bail for the charges a scuffle ensued after security agents failed to comply with the order and whisked him away from his lawyers. The DSS has since withdrawn the charges.
On August 16, the EFCC arraigned Emefiele before an FCT High Court over charges of N9.6 billion fraud.
The 20-count charges were brought against Emefiele and a CBN employee, Sa'adatu Yaro and her company, Investment Limited for alleged procurement fraud, conspiracy and conferring corrupt advantages on his associates.
The offences were said to be in contravention of Section 19 of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, which prohibits public officers' conferring corrupt or unfair advantage to themselves.
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 N6.9bn.
Some of the vehicles bought between 2018 and 2020 included 84 Toyota Hilux vehicles, 10 armoured Mercedes Benz buses, three Toyota Landcruisers and one Toyota Avalon car.
One of the charges read, "That you, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, male, adult, sometime in 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did use your position as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to confer a corrupt advantage on Sa'adatu Ramallan Yaro, a staff member 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 she is a director and thereby committed an offence."
On January 19, the EFCC re-arraigned Emefiele on an amended 20-count charge before Justice Muazu at the FCT High Court.
In the fresh charges, the anti-graft agency accused Emefiele of conferment of corrupt advantages, conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, forgery and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of $6,230,000.
The EFCC further alleged that Emefiele conferred corrupt advantage on a CBN staff, Sa'adatu Ramallan Yero by awarding her contract for the supply of 37 Toyota Hilux vehicles through April 1616, a company she is the director, to the tune of N854,700,000.
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Emefiele was also accused alongside Odoh Eric Ocheme of falsely representing the Secretary to the Government of the Federation via a letter dated January 26, 2023 with Ref no SGFF.43 L.01/201 requested the CBN to provide logistics to the tune of $6,230,000.
On April 8, the EFCC arraigned Emefiele before a Federal High Court in Lagos alongside one Henry Omoile on 26-count charges.
The EFCC accused the defendants of accepting gratification, accepting gifts through agents, corruption, and fraudulent property receipts, and irregular allocation of billions of US dollars in foreign exchange to the tune of $2.1 billion.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the allegation before Justice
Emefiele's 3 civil suits for bail
It could be recalled that following Emefiele's prolonged detention, his lawyers filed three different fundamental rights applications which were all granted.
Justice Bello Kawu of the FCT High Court issued the second order in 2023 re-echoing the order of Justice M. A. Hassan in December 2022.
Similarly, Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court on July 13, 2023, ordered the DSS to charge Emefiele within one week or let him go.
