Ex Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria
Emefiele freed, meets bail conditions. Godwin Emefiele, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, has been released from the Kuje Correctional Centre after meeting his bail condition.
Emefiele was released on Friday, December 22, 2023, according to our reporter.
Adamu Duza, the spokesperson for the Kuje Correctional Centre in the Federal Capital Territory, confirmed the development to our correspondent on Saturday.
“I can confirm that he (Emefiele) has fulfilled his bail conditions and thus has no reason to remain in our facility.”
“He met his bail condition and was released past 2pm yesterday (Friday),” added the police officer.
Emefiele, who is being prosecuted for alleged procurement fraud, was granted N300 million bail by the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.
Justice Hamza Muazu granted bail with two sureties in the same amount.
The sureties must have certificates of occupancy and titles to homes in Abuja’s Maitama District, according to the judge.
He also ordered Emefiele to submit all of his travel documents with the court’s registrar and to stay inside the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
However, the judge ordered that Emefiele remain in Kuje Correctional Centre until he meets the bail requirements.
While rejecting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s objection to Emefiele’s bail application, Justice Muazu disagreed with the anti-graft agency that the ex-CBN governor was a flight risk who could jump bail, jeopardize the investigation, or endanger national security if granted bail.
After granting the bail motion, Justice Muazu postponed the start of the trial until November 28.
Emefiele was charged with six charges of procurement fraud totaling N1.2 billion.
Meanwhile, after more than four months of investigation, the Special Investigator in charge of the CBN, Jim Obazee, has concluded that Emefiele and others embezzled billions of naira and committed other serious financial crimes.
According to Obazee’s report, which was submitted to President Bola Tinubu on December 9, 2023, Emefiele, who was in office from June 2014 to June 2023, engaged in “fraudulent cash withdrawal of $6.23 million” and perpetrated fraud in the redesign of the naira, while allegedly keeping 543.4 million pounds in the United Kingdom.