The trial of the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, continued as scheduled before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja.
Three prosecution witnesses testified and a bundle of documents were tendered as exhibits.
The Prosecutor Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), led the witnesses on Thursday.
Godwin Emefiele is standing trial for $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion fraud allegedly committed through abuse of office.
Godwin Emefiele trial: Court admits evidence
The third prosecution witness, a Compliance Officer at Zenith Bank PLC, Mr. Clement Ngolu, tendered the bundles of documents and was led in evidence by Counsel to EFCC, Oyedepo.
The documents, which included account opening packages and statements of account of Limelight Multidimensional Services Limited, were admitted into evidence following no objections from the first defence counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo (SAN), and the second defence counsel, Mr. Adeyinka Kotoye (SAN).
Justice Oshodi admitted the original certified copies of the bundles of documents, which were sent to the EFCC, into evidence.
“I have read the documents dated March 2024 and I admit the original certified copy of the bundles of documents, which include account opening packages, statements of accounts into evidence and are marked as exhibit A,” the judge said.
Ngolu, in his evidence-in-chief, said his department responded to regulators and law enforcement agencies to ensure that the bank’s activities were in line with its policies and regulations.
He added that his department worked with agencies like EFCC, Nigeria Police, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences, ICPC, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.
The bank’s official said that sometime in 2014, his department received a request from EFCC to furnish them with statements of accounts of Limelight and two other accounts, and they duly furnished them with the request.
“The documents we sent to EFCC were duly signed by staff of the bank. The process of generating the statement was through our computer system, which was in good condition at the time. The documents were printed out from the company’s computer, which was working well, and the documents are in the bank’s custody,” Ngolu said.
The defence team, however, said they had no questions for the witness.
Earlier, a former Director of Information Technology at CBN, Mr. John Ayoh, in the continuation of his cross-examination, said he had a confrontation with Emefiele because he had asked him to do something wrong.
Ayoh, who further confirmed that he was ostracised by the former governor of the bank on the grounds of being unpopular with him, added that his being sidelined made him not have any relationship with him.
According to him, “While I was a director with the CBN, my loyalty was to the bank and the Nigerian nation, and my relationship with Emefiele was only formal and based on instructions. The governor and the four deputy governors of the bank alongside the directors make up the management of the CBN.”
The fourth witness, a contractor, also testified before the court that he was allegedly pressurised by the management of CBN to pay the sum of $600,000 for the payment of the contract he had executed.
The judge adjourned the case until May 17 for the continuation of the trial.
