The trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, faced a delay at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja on Thursday, prompting an adjournment to June.
Emefiele is facing a 20-count amended charge brought against him by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
At the previous sitting, Justice Hamza Muazu had adjourned the trial for further cross-examination of the seventh witness to April 25. However, neither the lawyers representing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) nor Emefiele were present in court on Thursday.
A lawyer claiming to be part of the defense team, I. D. Ahmed, informed the court that the prosecution had requested an adjournment to a date in May, citing an undisclosed reason. However, the proposed date was not convenient for the court.
Subsequently, Justice Muazu scheduled June 24 and 25 for the continuation of the trial.
During the last sitting, the seventh prosecution witness, Mr. Michael Agboro, admitted under cross-examination that Emefiele did not confer any unfair advantage on himself in the award of contracts during his tenure at the apex bank.
Among the allegations against Emefiele is the forging of a document titled “Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions.” The EFCC alleges that Emefiele engaged in criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy, and obtaining money by false pretense during his tenure as CBN governor.
Emefiele is accused of obtaining $6,230,000.00 by falsely representing a letter from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to request a contingent logistic advance from the CBN.
Meanwhile, the United States criticized the Nigerian government over Emefiele’s arrest, describing it as “arbitrary” in its 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights situation in Nigeria. The report highlighted numerous arbitrary arrests and alleged violations of due process by law enforcement and intelligence agencies in Nigeria.