The Federal Capital Territory’s High Court has adjourned the alleged N6.9 billion procurement lawsuit against suspended CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele to August 23.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Hamza Muazu on Thursday adjourned the case following the absence of the other two defendants in the matter.
Although Godwin Emefiele (the first defendant) was present in court today, while the second defendant, a female CBN employee, Sa’adatu Yaro, was not in court.
Emefiele was supposed to be arraigned alongside a female CBN employee, Sa’adatu Yaro and her company, April 1616 Investment Limited on 20 charges of procurement fraud, conspiracy and conferring corrupt advantages on his associates.
Wakadaily reports that Nigerian government had filed fresh 20 count-charge against suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Government further applied to withdraw the charge of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition filled against the immediate past CBN governor.
The Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice Mohammed Bakodo Abubakar approached the federal high court in Ikoyi on Tuesday with an oral application.
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 N6.9bn.
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.
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 member of the Central Bank of Nigeria by awarding a contract for the supply of 37 (Nos.) Toyota Hilux Vehicles at the cost of N854,700,000 only to April 1616 Investment Ltd, a company in which she is a director and thereby committed an offence.”
