The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele, asked an Abuja High Court on Tuesday to dismiss the prosecution in his ongoing trial over alleged procurement fraud.
Emefiele is on trial before Justice Hamza Muazu in a suit filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation under case number CR/577/2023, on an amended 20-count accusation.
Emefiele was charged by the federal government with criminal breach of trust, conferring corrupt advantage, forgery, conspiracy to get by false pretenses, and acquiring money by false pretenses while serving as CBN governor.
He was accused of using his position as CBN governor to award six different contracts for the supply of various vehicles to April 1616, in which one Sa’adatu Ramalan Yaro, a CBN employee, is a director and shareholder, between 2018 and 2022 for a total of N1,210,600,000, among other allegations.
However, Emefiele has pled not guilty to the accusation.
At the resumed hearing of the case, Emefiele’s counsel, Mathew Burkaa, SAN, sought the court to dismiss the charges.
The motion, he added, was due to the prosecution’s refusal to appear in court despite knowing of the adjournment date.
Burkaa informed the court that the subject was scheduled for continuation of the hearing, but the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo SAN, did not appear in court and did not send a representation.
He stated that on Monday, the court registrar informed him via WhatsApp that the prosecution had issued a letter seeking an adjournment.
He informed the court that the application he was handed in court was sent by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
According to him, the accusation before the court was filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, and he questioned why the EFCC sought an adjournment of the case.
While opposing the application for adjournment, he questioned why none of the lawyers involved, including Oyedepo, could be present in court for the case to proceed.
He said that the prosecution has requested an accelerated hearing in the matter.
He also informed the court that Emefiele and his counsel were travelling from Lagos to attend the trial.
Burkaa urged the court to dismiss the case since the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation had not filed a motion for adjournment.
After hearing the counsel, Justice Muazu stated that the court will give the prosecution one last chance.
He further stated that if the prosecution does not appear in court on the next adjourned date, the court will take appropriate action.
He therefore adjourned the case until October 22 for further proceedings.
