The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has brought forth a fresh 26-count charge of corruption against the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Emefiele is scheduled to appear before the Ikeja State High Court in Lagos on Monday, April 8, facing allegations of abuse of office in the allocation of billions of dollars.
The charges were filed on Friday, April 5, coinciding with the submission of the comprehensive report by the Special Investigator, Mr. Jim Obazee, regarding activities under Emefiele’s leadership at the apex bank. The completion of Obazee’s investigation marked March 31, 2024.
Henry Isioma Omole is also implicated alongside Emefiele in the new case, as outlined in the charge sheet dated April 3, 2024, and filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Rotimi Oyedepo.
Count one accuses Emefiele of directing the allocation of foreign exchange totaling $2,136,391,737.33 without bids between 2022 and 2023, an act deemed prejudicial to the rights of Nigerians under Section 73 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
In count two, Emefiele is alleged to have similarly directed the allocation of foreign exchange totaling $291,945,785.59 without bids between 2020 and 2021.
The third count accuses Emefiele of special allocation of foreign exchange totaling $1,769,254,793.16 in 2021, while the fourth count involves a sum of $370,872,893.01.
Additionally, the fifth count implicates Emefiele’s co-defendant, Omole, for accepting a total sum of $110,000 as a reward for Emefiele’s allocation of foreign exchange to Omole’s employer.
Emefiele is concurrently facing trial in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory over alleged fraudulent cash payments totaling $6,230,000 for international election observers during the 2023 general elections.
