Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The case of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, over an alleged fraudulent procurement worth N6.9 billion, has again been stalled.
According to Channels Television, the matter was not listed on the cause list of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja on Wednesday with no reason given as lawyers to both parties were absent in court.
Business Post had reported that the embattled banker appeared before the court last Thursday and was supposed to be arraigned, but the arraignment was stalled due to the absence of the second defendant, who was said to have been indisposed.
Although Mr Emefiele (the first defendant) was present in court, the second defendant, a female CBN employee, Mrs Sa’adatu Yaro, was not in court.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Hamza Muazu, adjourned the matter to August 23, 2023, after he granted an application for adjournment.
The embattled apex bank chief, who has been in detention since he was suspended from office on June 9, 2023, was accused of conferring corrupt advantages on Mrs Yaro, a director in April 1616 Investment Limited.
The offence is contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, which states that, “Any public officer who uses his office or position to gratify or confer any corrupt or unfair advantage upon himself or any relation or associate of the public officer or any other public officer shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for five years without an option of fine.”
In the charges signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Abubakar; Deputy Director, Public Prosecution, Mrs Nkiru Jones-Nebo and eight other ministry officials, the three accused persons were alleged to have bought a fleet of over 98 exotic vehicles and armoured buses valued at about N6.9 billion.
Some of the vehicles bought between 2018 and 2020 included 84 Toyota Hilux vehicles, 10 armoured Mercedes Benz buses, three Toyota Landcruisers and one Toyota Avalon car.
Mr Emefiele was said to have also conferred a corrupt advantage on Mrs Yaro by awarding a contract for the supply of one Toyota Avalon at the cost of N99.9m to her company, April 1616 Investment Ltd., in 2019.
The suspended governor was also accused of awarding a contract for the supply of another Toyota Landcruiser V8 for N77.050m to the third defendant in 2018.
The ex-CBN governor was said to have conspired with Mrs Yaro to confer corrupt advantages on the CBN staffer by awarding her a contract for the supply of two Toyota Hilux Shell specification vehicles at the cost of N44.2 million sometime in 2020.
He was further alleged to have awarded another contract to Mrs Yaro and her firm for the purchase of one Toyota Landcruiser VXR valued at N96m in 2020.
Mrs Yaro was similarly accused of fraudulent acquisition of property for getting a contract from the CBN for the supply of 47 Toyota Hilux vehicles at the cost of N1,085,700,000 and thereby committed a punishable offence.
