Alleged Fraud: Court Adjourns Emefiele’s Trial

In a court session at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, on Monday, a Deputy Director at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in charge of Branch Operations, Onyeka Ogbu, provided testimony regarding a $6.2 million payment request made for international election observers.

Mr. Ogbu, serving as the first prosecution witness, revealed that the request was submitted on January 8, 2023, and after a thorough review of the documentation, he approved the disbursement of the funds.

During the proceedings, it was noted that while all relevant documents were identified, certain pages were missing.

This prompted the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, to seek a temporary pause in the trial to address the issue of the absent pages.

In contrast, counsel to the defendant, Matthew Burkaa, objected to this move.

He argued that the prosecution should be held to the evidence already presented and suggested that an adjournment would be more appropriate to allow time for obtaining all certified true copies of the documents and for the witness to undergo cross-examination.

Justice Hamza Muazu, after considering the submissions from both sides, decided to adjourn the trial until Tuesday for its continuation.

This case has garnered attention due to its high-profile defendant, Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Emefiele is facing an amended 20 charges, which include allegations of criminal conspiracy, conferring an undue advantage, and breach of trust, among others, as levied by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

One of the most notable charges accuses Emefiele of impersonating the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to illicitly secure a sum of $6.2 million, underlining the gravity of the accusations and the complex nature of the case.