The Federal Government has revised the charges against the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.Godwin Emefiele.
The charges proffered against Emefiele was reduced to six counts from 20.
The allegations, initially centered around procurement fraud amounting to N6.5bn, have now been streamlined to N1.2bn.
Background
The original charges, filed in August, implicated Emefiele, along with a female CBN employee, Sa’adatu Yaro, and her company, April 1616 Investment.
The proceedings faced setbacks, with Emefiele’s non-appearance in court due to issues with the Department of State Services.
Subsequent to his release and re-arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on October 27, the charges were amended.
In the updated charge sheet with charge number CR/577/2023, the counts were reduced, and Emefiele became the sole defendant.
The revised charges accuse Emefiele of unauthorized procurement of 43 vehicles between 2018 and 2020, valuing N1.2bn.
The charges against Emefiele are;
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 April1616 Investment Ltd., in 2019 at the cost of N73m.
The fourth count was about a Toyota Landcruiser V8 valued N73,800,000 awarded illegally to April 1616 Investment Ltd.
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The FG further accused the former CBN governor of also awarding a contract to Yaro for the supply of two Toyota Hilux Shell Specification Vehicles at the cost of N44,200,000 in 2020.
He was scheduled for arraignment on Wednesday but there was no hearing due to the strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress’ strike.
