By Adedapo Adesanya
Embattled former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, has pled not guilty to the new 26-count charges of fraud and abuse of office brought against him by the federal government.
Mr Emefiele had arrived this morning in court for his arraignment at the Ikeja High Court over alleged abuse of office and allocation of billions of Dollars.
At 9 am, the trial judge, Justice Rahman Oshodi entered the courtroom to begin proceedings.
Business Post gathered that the courtroom was sitting without lights.
The 26-count charges, which include new allegations of foreign currency infractions, were read to Mr Emefiele and his co-defendant, Mr Henry Omoile.
But both defendants pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Last week, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleged that Mr Emefiele committed abuse of office between 2022 and 2023, in Lagos, of abuse of office.
The anti-graft watchdog alleged that Mr Emefiele “directed to be done in abuse of the authority of your office, as the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, an arbitrary act, to wit: allocating foreign exchange in the aggregate sum of $2,136,391,737.33 without bids, which act is prejudicial to the rights of Nigerians.”
EFCC, further alleged that the banker between 2020 and 2021, in Lagos, “directed to be done in abuse of the authority of your office, as the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, an arbitrary, act to wit: allocating foreign exchange in the aggregate sum of $291,945,785.59, without bids, which act is prejudicial to the rights of Nigerians.
Mr Emefiele was alleged to have, in 2021, in Lagos, “directed to be done in abuse of the authority of your office, as the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, an arbitrary act, to wit: special allocation of foreign exchange in the aggregate sum of $1,769,254,793.16, which act is prejudicial to the rights of Nigerians.”
In count four, the sum involved was $370,872,893.01.
Mr Emefiele’s co-defendant, Mr Omoile, was alleged to have on November 17, 2020, in Lagos, whilst acting as an agent accepted from Raja Punjab through Mr Monday Osazuwa, the total sum of $110,000, for Mr Emefiele, gifts as a reward for allocating foreign exchange by the central bank in favour of Raja Punjab’s employer.”