The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has initiated a new legal challenge against Godwin Emefiele, the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, by filing a 26-count indictment against him at the Lagos High Court in Ikeja.
Authored by EFCC prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, on April 3, the charges accuse Emefiele of engaging in practices of office abuse and corruption during his tenure.
Key allegations within the indictment suggest that Emefiele misused his position by improperly allocating a total of $2.1 billion in foreign exchange without adhering to the required bidding procedures. This act is said to have significantly infringed upon the rights of the Nigerian populace.
Further accusations levelled against the former CBN chief include accepting bribes, receiving gifts through intermediaries, fraudulently obtaining property, and bestowing undue advantages on his close associates, all of which are purported to violate the Corrupt Practices Act of 2000.
One of the charges detailed in the document states: “Between 2022 and 2023, in Lagos, you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE, while serving as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, unlawfully directed the allocation of foreign exchange totalling $2,136,391,737.33 without undergoing the bidding process, an action that disadvantaged the Nigerian public.”
According to a Channels TV report, Emefiele is slated for arraignment before Justice Rahman Oshodi this coming Monday, April 8.
