The immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has asked a High Court in Abuja to halt his ongoing trial if the prosecution fails to produce its remaining witnesses.
Emefiele made the request on Monday before Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, where he is facing a 20-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The charges include alleged criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office, conspiracy, and obtaining $6.23 million by false pretence.
Defence alleges delay tactics
At the hearing, prosecuting counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) told the court that the prosecution might struggle to present its remaining two witnesses due to delays in securing subpoenas.
In response, defence counsel Matthew Burkaa (SAN) urged the court to shut down the prosecution’s case if the witnesses fail to appear at the next sitting.
He argued that continued delays were unfair to the defendant and amounted to undue hardship.
However, Oyedepo rejected claims of stalling, insisting the prosecution was working to secure witnesses based in Lagos and Benin City.
$6.23m ‘election observer’ funds under scrutiny
The case centres on $6.23 million allegedly withdrawn from CBN funds for international election observers during the 2023 general election.
The anti-graft agency also accused Emefiele of conferring corrupt advantages on two companies — April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd.
Emefiele has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
EFCC witness alleges forged signatures
Earlier, the EFCC presented its 13th witness, Assistant Commander Chinedu Eneanya, who told the court that a special investigative team handled the case.
According to him, the funds were withdrawn under the guise of funding foreign election observers.
He added that former SGF, Boss Mustapha, denied knowledge of the transaction.
Eneanya further claimed that forensic analysis showed signatures attributed to former President Muhammadu Buhari and Mustapha were forged.
Gaps exposed under cross-examination
Under questioning, the witness admitted that no forensic analysis was conducted on Emefiele’s signature, despite the defendant’s claim of forgery.
He also revealed that:
- Five CBN officials linked to the transaction were only administratively sanctioned
- He had no direct interaction with Emefiele during the probe
- Allegations that funds passed through Emefiele’s lawyer were not independently verified
The defence challenged the credibility of the testimony, describing the witness as evasive.
