By Ken Afor
Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, Wednesday, granted Godwin Emefiele, former Governor of the Central Bank, bail of N300 million and two guarantors.
The guarantors must possess certificates of occupancy and titles of properties within the Maitama District in the FCT.
The Registrar of the Court has instructed Emefiele to submit all his travel documents and remain within the Abuja Municipal Council. He must remain at the Kuje Correctional Centre until he meets the bail requirements.
This comes four months after the Federal High Court Sitting in Lagos granted him bail in the sum of N20 million.
It would be recalled TheNewDiplomat reported that the ex-head of the apex bank was brought before the court on an accusation of alleged breaches of procurement regulations, presented in a 6-point charge.
The initial 20-count charge of N6.5 billion was reduced to a smaller six-count charge of N1.6 billion, with Emefiele as the sole defendant of the newly amended plea.
On Friday, the ex CBN governor turned up at court for a plea for bail and pleaded not guilty to the six-count indictment when it was read out to him.
The federal government accused Emefiele of committing procurement fraud. It was claimed that he had obtained 43 vehicles during the period between 2018 and 2020, costing a total of 1.2 billion Naira. Moreover, he was also accused of awarding a contract for the acquisition of 37 Toyota Hilux Vehicles worth 854 million Naira, according to the fresh charge brought against him.
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 of the Central Bank of Nigeria by awarding a contract for the supply of 37 Toyota Hilux Vehicles at the cost of N854,700,000 only to April1616 Investment Ltd, a company in which the said Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro is a director and thereby committed an offence.”
In the second count, Emefiele was accused of using his position to corruptly confer an advantage on Yaro, “a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria by awarding a contract for the supply of one Toyota Avalon at the cost of N99,900,000 only to April1616 Investment Ltd, a company in which the said Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro was Director and thereby committed an offence.”
Emefiele, who wanted to contest for the Presidency in the 2023 general elections was also accused of illegally awarding a contract of the supply of one Toyota Land Cruiser V8 to April1616 Investment Ltd., at the price of N73 million in 2019, thus transgressing Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.
April 1616 Investment Ltd was illegally awarded a Toyota Landcruiser V8 valued at N73,800,000 as part of the fourth count.
In another count, the federal government brought a charge against Emefiele alleging that he was responsible for awarding a contract to Yaro for the purchase of two Toyota Hilux Shell Specification Vehicles at the cost of N44,200,000 in 2020.
The Federal Capital Territory High Court’s Justice Hamza Muazu postponed the case to November 22 to decide Emefiele’s petition for bail, and established November 28 as the date to begin the hearing.
The former CBN governor was escorted to Kuje Correctional Centre at approximately 10:40 am following an order for Emefiele to be remanded at the facility in the meantime.
Emefiele was initially suspended following allegations of gross misconduct while in office and was subsequently sacked and replaced by Olayemi Cardoso.
