Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), will be charged with three felonies in an amended complaint by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on May 15 in a Federal Capital Territory court.
The EFCC accused Emefiele of violating the law with the intention of harming the public when he carried out the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s naira swap programme in the new accusation brought against him.
Emefiele was also charged by the anti-graft agency with illegally authorising the removal of N124.8 billion from the Federation’s Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Maryan Anenih was the previous scheduled person for the arraignment.
Nevertheless, when the case—CR/264/2024—was called, none of the parties showed up in person.
Emefiele was standing trial in a different Lagos court, according to the court; therefore, the prosecution wrote a letter requesting an adjournment.
Thus, the arraignment was postponed until May 15 by the judge.
Additionally, Emefiele is on trial before Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court for an alleged 20-count amended indictment that the anti-graft agency filed against him.
He was accused of criminal breach of trust, forgery, and conspiracy to collect funds under false pretences when he was the head of the apex bank.
The FCT High Court’s Justice Olukayode Adeniyi granted N100 million in damages to the CBN chairman, who was suspended at the time, against the Federal Government and the EFCC on January 8.
Additionally, Justice Adeniyi barred the federal government and its agents from detaining Emefiele until an injunction from an appropriate court was obtained.
According to the judge, the respondents are not required to imprison the applicant in order to conduct a lengthy inquiry that would violate legal rules.
The judge ruled that there was no evidence presented to the court that the applicant’s release would impede the investigation of the charges that were filed against him.
In order to defend his fundamental rights to life, personal liberty, a fair trial, and freedom of movement, Emefiele has taken the Federal Government, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the EFCC, and its chairman to court.
He requested a declaration from the court stating that it is illegal for him to have been detained by the first and second respondents’ agencies since June 10, 2023, and to have been transferred to the third and fourth respondents’ custody on October 26, 2023, without first being charged in court.
He claimed that the respondents’ disregard for many legitimate court decisions directing his release amounted to a serious infringement of his fundamental rights to life and personal liberty, as protected by the African Charter on Human Rights and the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).
