• Fixes April 11 for ruling on bail
Justice Rahman Oshodi of Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, yesterday, ordered that the embattled former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, be remanded in EFCC custody for alleged abuse of office.
Aside abuse of office, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also accused Emefiele of fraud, totalling $5.5 billion and N 2.8 billion.
The judge remanded him after he was arraigned alongside Henry Isioma-Omoile on 26 counts bordering on abuse of office, accepting gratification, accepting gifts through agents, corruption, and fraudulent property receipt.
The prosecution said their offences ran contrary to the provisions of Sections 8, 10, and 19 of the Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Sections 65, 73 and 328 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011.
While Emefiele was remanded in EFCC custody, Omoile was remanded in Ikoyi Custodial Centre pending ruling on their bail application on April 11, 2024.
The court returned Omoile to Ikoyi facility, where he was brought to court. He had, on April 5, arraigned and remanded in Ikoyi Correctional centre on the order of Justice Olunfunke Sule-Amzat sitting in Yaba High Court, Lagos.
The defendants’ counsel, Mr A. Labi- Lawal, while moving their bail applications, urged the court to grant the defendants bail on self recognisance and on liberal terms pending the determination on the case.
Labi-Lawal said his application was supported with 35 paragraph affidavits, noting that the first defendant (Emefiele) had complied with the bail application, which was granted to him by Justice Hamza Muazu of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja in another fraud trial.
His counsel said the charge was bailable offences and not a capital offence. He said that the first defendant was granted administrative bail by the prosecuting authority.
“He is seeking for bail based on self recognisance and he is ready to attend the court. The court should also take into consideration, the status of the first defendant as he was the former CBN governor of this country.
“He had religiously presented himself before Justice Muazu in Abuja to answer the allegations before him, he has no criminal record and he will submit himself for trial. He had served as a top official of bank for nine years. The first defendant was not at flight risk as he was the first person to arrive in court.”
The EFCC counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), who did not oppose the bail application by the defence counsel, prayed the court to exercise its discretion judiciously in granting bail to the defendants and to fix a trial date.
Oyedepo also informed the court that the prosecution would be asking for closed session for some of its witnesses, who were willing to come to court to testify, but are scared for their lives.
EFCC, in part of the charge, alleged that Emefiele abused the authority of his office as CBN governor, allocating foreign exchange in total sum of $2.2 billion dollars without bids, the act which was prejudiced to the rights of Nigerians.
Justice Oshodi adjourned ruling and commencement of trial to April 11.
