EFCC to arraign Emefiele,1 other in Lagos court Monday

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will on Monday (April 8) arraign the embattled former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Special Offences Court, for alleged abuse of office.

Emefiele will be arraigned alongside one Henry Omoile before Oshodi on a 26-count bordering on abuse of office, accepting gratification, accepting gifts through agents, corruption, and fraudulent property receipt.

The former CBN governor was also alleged of conferring corrupt advantage on his associates contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act of 2000.

The charge sheet, marked ID/23787c/2024, was dated April 3 and was filed by Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).

One of the counts stated that Emefiele allegedly committed abuse of office between 2022 and 2023, in Lagos, an offence punishable under Section 73 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Another count alleged that Emefiele directed to be done in abuse of the authority of his 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.

Also, it was 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 alleged to have acted as an agent and accepted from Raja Punjab through Monday Osazuwa, the total sum of $110,000, for the ex-CBN as a reward for allocating foreign exchange by the Central Bank in favour of Raja Punjab’s employer.