Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will on Monday, April 8, 2024, arraign embattled former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele.
Godwin Emefiele to be arraigned before Special Offences court
He is to be arraigned before a Special Offences Court at the Lagos State High Court.
Godwin Emefiele will be docked for abuse of office
Emefiele would be arraigned before Justice Rahman Oshodi, alongside one Henry Omoile on a 26-count charge bordering on abuse of office, accepting gratification, accepting gifts through agents, corruption, and fraudulent property receipt.
Godwin Emefiele allocates forex running into billions of dollars without bids -EFCC
Alledgedly, the former apex bank boss offences are said to be bordering on abuse of office related to the allocation of billions of US dollars in foreign exchange.
The former bank chief was also accused of conferring corrupt advantage on his associates contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act of 2000.
According to EFCC, Emefiele, bypassed established procedures for allocating foreign exchange on multiple occasions between 2020 and 2023.
The charges against him has it that he authorised the allocation of a total of $4.5 billion without following proper bidding processes.
The charge sheet marked ID/23787c/2024, was dated April 3 and was filed by Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).
One of the counts alleged that Emefiele committed abuse of office between 2022 and 2023, in Lagos, an offence punishable under Section 73 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Emefiele allocates forex running into billions of dollars without bids
Another count alleged that Emefiele directed to be done in abuse of the authority of your office, as the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, an arbitrary act, to wit: allocating foreign exchange in the aggregate sum of $2.2 billion without bids, which act is prejudicial to the rights of Nigerians.
Another count also alleged that Emefiele abused the authority of his office by allocating foreign exchange in the aggregate sum of $291 million without bids, which act was prejudicial to the rights of Nigerians.
Emefiele’s co-defendant was also alleged to have acted as an agent and accepted from Raja Punjab through Monday Osazuwa, the total sum of $110,000, for Emefiele gifts as reward for allocating foreign exchange by the Central Bank in favour of Raja Punjab’s employer.
