By Kolawole Ojebisi
In a couple of weeks former governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, will know his fate concerning the final forfeiture of money and other property purportedly belonging to him in a case filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This is as a Federal High Court in Lagos fixed November 1, 2024 to deliver its ruling on the application.
The anti-graft agency has requested the court, through an application filed months ago, for final forfeiture of $2.045m, seven choice landed property, and shares linked to Emefiele.
Also to be decided on the same day by Justice Deinde Dipeolu is the counter-application by Emefiele seeking to challenge the jurisdiction of the court not to entertain the forfeiture proceedings
.The court had on August 25, 2024, authorised the EFCC to temporarily take custody of the Emefiele’s funds and assets.
Granting the application, the court directed the EFCC to publish the order of interim forfeiture for any person interested in the funds to show cause why it should not be finally forfeited to the Federal government.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Friday, EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, applied for the final forfeiture of the $2.045m, as well as share certificates, which he said were not contested by the interested party.
Oyedepo adopted his written address dated August 29, 2024 and urged the court to order final forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government.
However, Emefiele’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, urged the court to refuse the application.
After listening to the counsels, Justice Dipeolu adjourned the case till November 1 for ruling.
Emefiele has been in the eye of the storms since the expiration of the tenure of Muhammadu Buhari under which he served as the governor of the apex bank of the country.
Emefiele had orchestrated and even supervised the redesign of some Nigerian currencies in the twilight of the Buhari administration.
Though he claimed the directive came from the office of the president, the policy inflicted untold hardship on Nigeria before it was stopped following the emergence of Tinubu as president
