The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele before Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court in Maitama, over 753 housing units recovered from him during investigations into his alleged fraud and abuse of office.
In addition to the property-related allegation, Emefiele was also prosecuted by the anti-graft agency on a fresh eight-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering amounting to ₦7.7 billion.
During his arraignment on Monday, the former CBN boss pleaded not guilty to the eight-count charge leveled against them by the anti-corruption agency before the court.
According to the charge, Emefiele is accused of unlawfully acquiring the said estate and, between 2019 and 2022, having control over ₦7 billion suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
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After outlining the charges, prosecuting counsel Rotimi Oyedepo urged the court to grant an accelerated hearing of the case and requested that the defendant be remanded in custody pending the commencement of trial.
In response, the former CBN chief counsel informed the court that three related cases were already pending before other courts, making this the fourth charge being filed against his client.
He added that his client had previously been granted bail in the other matters and should similarly be admitted to bail in the current case.
To that effect, the defence filed a formal bail application, urging the court to consider the same terms as previously granted.
However, the prosecution noted that he was just served with the application for bail and will need time to respond.
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