•Ex-apex bank governor will be cross-examined by the CBN procurement director and six others
•A suspended CBN governor is accused of purchasing 100 automobiles through staff.
Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and his accomplices will be put on trial by the federal government on Thursday at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, for N6.9 billion in procurement fraud.
Arrest and mention are to be made in the case.
Emefiele will be charged with 20 counts of procurement fraud, conspiracy, and providing corrupt benefits to his accomplices together with a female CBN employee named Sa’adatu Yaro and her business, April1616 Investment Limited.
Emefiele, who has been held since he was removed from office by President Bola Tinubu on June 9, was charged with giving Yaro, a director of April 1616 Investment Ltd., corrupt privileges.
If found guilty, Emefiele may receive a five-year prison term without the possibility of a fine.
“Any public officer who uses his office or position to gratify or confer any corrupt or unfair advantage upon himself, any relation or associate of the public officer, or any other public officer, shall be guilty of an offence and shall, upon conviction, be liable to imprisonment for five years without the option of fine.” was the section’s opening sentence.
In the charges signed by the Federal Ministry of Justice’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar, the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs. N. Jones-Nebo, and eight other ministry officials, the three defendants were accused of purchasing a fleet of over 98 exotic cars and armored buses, which were estimated to have cost about $1 million.
One of the counts stated, “That you, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, male, adult, sometime in 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, did use your position as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to confer a corrupt advantage on Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro, a staff member of the Central Bank of Nigeria, by awarding a contract for the supply of 37 (No.) Toyota Hilux Vehicles at a cost of N854,700,000 only to
Giving a corrupt advantage in violation of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Act 2000 is the statement of the crime.
Emefiele was additionally charged by the Federal Government with conspiring to give the second defendant a corrupt advantage in violation of Sections 26(c) and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, which is punishable under Section 19 of the same Act.
“That you, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, male, adult, Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro, female, adult, and April 1616 Investment Ltd. conspired amongst yourselves sometime in 2019 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court to use Mr. Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele’s position as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to confer a corrupt advantage on Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro, a staff member of the Central Bank of Nigeria by awarding a contract for the supply of 1 (No.) Toyota Landcruiser V8 at the cost of N73,800,000 only to April 1616 Investment Ltd., ‘’ the charge stated.
Emefiele was accused of giving Yaro a corrupt advantage by giving her company, April1616 Investment Ltd., a contract in 2019 to deliver one Toyota Avalon for N99.9 million.
The suspended governor was charged with giving the third defendant a contract in 2018 for the provision of another Toyota Landcruiser V8 for N77.050 million.
Associate of Emefiele
According to reports, the ex-CBN governor and Yaro planned to give the CBN employee corrupt privileges by giving her a contract for the supply of two Toyota Hilux Shell-specified trucks at a cost of N44.2 million sometime in 2020.
Yaro and her company were also accused of receiving a second contract from Emefiele for the 2020 purchase of a Toyota Landcruiser VXR valued at N96 million.
Yaro was also charged with fraudulent property acquisition after receiving a contract from the CBN to deliver 47 Toyota Hilux cars for N1,085, 700,000 and allegedly committing a crime.
“That you, Sa’adatu Rammala Yaro, female, adult, sometime in 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honorable court while being employed at the CBN knowingly held directly a private interest as director in April1616 Investment Ltd., in a contract awarded to said company, for the supply of 47 Toyota Hilux vehicles at a cost of N1,085, 700,000, and thereby committed an offence,” read count 10 of the complaint.
Count 11 reads, “That you, Sa’adatu Rammala Yaro, female, adult, sometime in 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honorable court while being employed at the CBN, knowingly held directly a private interest in your position as director of April1616 Investment Ltd., in a contract awarded to the said company, emanating from the CBN where you are employed, for the supply of 10 Mercedes Benz armoured buses at the cost of N2,222, 500,00 and thereby
The CBN Director of Procurement, Stanley Alvan, the CBN Head of Procurement, Mike Agboro, Tahir Jafar, David Usman, and “any other witnesses to be supplied later in the additional proof of evidence” were listed as witnesses against Emefiele.
A Federal High Court in Lagos has scheduled the decision on Emefiele’s request to drop the allegations of illegally possessing guns for Thursday.
After hearing the arguments from the DPP, Abubakar, and Emefiele’s attorney, Joseph Daudu SAN, Justice Nicholas Oweibo set the date.
When the case was last postponed, it was scheduled for a hearing on pending motions to stop the execution of the bond and a motion ordering the complainant to follow court directions.
However, the DPP requested that the charges against Emefiele be dropped when the subject came up on Tuesday.
He asked the court to allow the application, saying that it was supported by new information and circumstances that called for more research.
According to Abubakar, the request was made in accordance with sections 174 (1) (c) (2) and 108 (2) (4).
However, the defense attorney objected with the prosecution’s oral application, saying that it should not be considered because the government was disobeying the court’s ruling giving Emefiele bail.
“The state can withdraw any charge against anyone before the court,” he stated, “there is no application before the court, there is no doubt, and I am not disputing the facts.”
Daudu added that the defense used to be that the matter couldn’t be handled since the Federation didn’t have an Attorney General.
He referenced Section 174 (3) of the Constitution, which states that the AGF may delegate authority to any of its representatives.
“We have a request that the AGF has disobeyed the court order which says the respondent/defendant should be remanded at the Nigeria Correctional Service but they are not complying with the order,” the senior attorney said.
“After they requested a stay of the bail’s execution, the court granted an order of substituted service to be published in three national dailies. We say that unless they comply, that order’s section 174(1) can only be by nolle prosequi (I do not want to prosecute).”
We must prevent abuse of the judicial system in the interest of justice, hence it must be in writing. I have never heard of a case being withdrawn without a nolle prosequi.
On July 25, the judge granted Emefiele a N20 million bail on a two-count charge of illegally possessing firearms and ammunition. The judge also ordered Emefiele’s detention at the Ikoyi Correctional Facility pending the completion of his bail conditions.
However, after fending off NCoS representatives on the grounds of the court, Department of State Security agents re-arrested the bank’s troubled CEO.