Court permits Emefiele to leave Abuja

An FCT High Court has granted the immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Godwin Emefiele permission to travel out of the FCT.

Ruling on Thursday, Justice Hamza Muazu said he must, however, remain in the country.

Mr Emefiele was earlier restricted to the FCT as part of conditions for bail.

Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel for the prosecutor, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), did not object to Emefiele’s request.

He told the court to ensure that the former CBN governor wrote an undertaking that he would remain in the country if his plea was granted.

The charge against the former governor of the CBN was also increased to 20 from six.

The amended charges against Emefiele now includes criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, procurement fraud and conspiracy to commit felony.

On December 24, 2023, the court granted Emefiele bail in sum of N300 million with two sureties in like sum.

Emefiele was released from the Kuje Correctional Centre after his lawyers perfected his bail conditions.

The top banker was arraigned on a six-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and using his position to confer a corrupt advantage on Sa’adatu Yaro, an employee of the CBN, by awarding a contract for the procurement of 43 vehicles worth N1.2 billion between 2018 and 2020.