By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Federal Capital Territory High Court Abuja on Wednesday granted the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, bail in the sum of N300 million and two sureties in like sum.
This comes after a Federal High Court Sitting in Lagos months ago granted him bail in the sum of N20 million.
The presiding judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Hamza Muazu said Emefiele’s sureties must have certificates of occupancy and titles of properties within the Maitama District and the former central bank chief is to deposit all his travel documents with the registrar of the court and must remain within the Abuja Municipal Area Council while his trial continues.
He is expected to remain in Kuje Correctional Centre pending when he meets the bail conditions.
The embattled ex-CBN governor is facing a six-count charge bordering on alleged procurement-related fraud in an amended charge filed last Friday by the Nigerian government.
The original charge, which was 20 counts to the tune of N6.5 billion, was reduced to six, to the tune of N1.6 billion. Emefiele is the only defendant in the new charge.
The former CBN governor appeared in court on Friday for an application for bail, pleading not guilty to the six-count charge after it was read to him.
According to the amended charge sheet, the charges still border on procurement fraud.
The Federal Government alleged that Emefiele illegally bought 43 vehicles between 2018 and 2020 worth N1.2 billion. He was also accused of awarding a contract for the procurement of 37 Toyota Hilux Vehicles valued at N854 million.
Count one read, “That you, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, male, adult, sometime in 2018 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable 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 of the Central Bank of Nigeria by awarding a contract for the supply of 37 Toyota Hilux Vehicles at the cost of N854,700,000 only to April1616 Investment Ltd, a company in which the said Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro is a director and thereby committed an offence.”
In the second count, Emefiele was accused of using his position to corruptly confer an advantage on Yaro, “a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria by awarding a contract for the supply of one Toyota Avalon at the cost of N99,900,000 only to April1616 Investment Ltd, a company in which the said Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro Director and thereby committed an offence.”
He was also accused of conferring corrupt advantage contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 by awarding a contract for the supply of one Toyota Landcruiser V8 April 1616 Investment Ltd., in 2019 at the cost of N73 million.
The fourth count was about a Toyota Landcruiser V8 valued N73,800,000 awarded illegally to April 1616 Investment Ltd.
Emefiele was arrested days after the Bola Tinubu-led government was inaugurated on May 29 following the exit of his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari.
Emefiele who made attempt to contest the 2023 presidential election on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) while still sitting as the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria was accused of breaching his oath of office.
Tinubu had alleged that the scarcity of local currency notes, Naira, which rocked the largest African population earlier in the year was orchestrated by Emefiele to undermine his (Tinubu) election as Nigeria’s 16th President.
Emefiele has repeatedly denied the allegations.
