The FCT High Court has postponed the continuation of the trial in the alleged procurement fraud case against the former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele, to January 18, 2024. Initially faced with 20 charges amounting to N6.5bn, the charges were later reduced to six, totaling over N1.2bn by the Federal Government.
Emefiele is accused of leveraging his position to provide an undue advantage to Sa’adatu Yaro, a CBN staff, by awarding a contract for the procurement of 43 vehicles worth N1.2 billion between 2018 and 2020. During Tuesday’s trial, Samsideen Romanus, an official of the Corporate Affairs Commission, testified that Emefiele was not a shareholder or owner of April 1616, the company in question. He presented documents and listed Aminu Yaro, Maryam Abdullahi, and Saadatu Yaro as joint owners.
Romanus clarified that, despite the company’s incorporation by the CAC, it wasn’t involved in its day-to-day operations. Subsequently, the Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank, Remigious Ugwu, detailed payments from the CBN to April 1616 Investment Limited, totaling millions of naira, without Emefiele’s name on any transaction. Ugwu also stated ignorance regarding the purpose of these payments and presented documents showing Emefiele was not a signatory to the company’s bank account.
The third witness, Oluwole Owoeye, Deputy Director of Banking Services with CBN and former Secretary to the Major Contract Tendering Committee, clarified his committee’s role in ensuring compliance with the Procurement Act. However, he disclosed that his committee was not involved in vetting bids for contracts that led to Emefiele’s prosecution, as another committee handled those above their threshold.
Despite testifying, Owoeye couldn’t confirm the execution or payment of contracts awarded to April 1616. Justice Hamza Muazu adjourned the proceedings until January 18 and 19, 2023, after which Emefiele, unable to meet bail conditions, was brought to court and taken away by armed personnel of the Nigerian Correctional Service. Notably, on November 22, Justice Muazu had granted Emefiele bail in the sum of N300 million, with the condition of producing two sureties with certificates of occupancy and property titles within Abuja’s Maitama district.
