753 Abuja Duplexes: Emefiele Pleads Not Guilty To EFCC’s Fresh 8-count Charge
..Gets 72 hours to perfect N2bn bail condition
The immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, on Monday, pleaded not guilty to a fresh eight-count charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him.
He was docked before trial Justice Yusuf Halilu of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, sitting at Maitama, following his alleged link to the 753 duplexes in Abuja that was recently forfeited to the Federal Government.
Ingredients of the charge included fraud and forgery, totalling about N7.8billion.
Meanwhile, following the defendant’s plea of innocence, the prosecution counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, applied for his remand in prison custody, even as he requested for accelerated hearing of the case.
On his part, Emefiele, through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Mathew Burkaa, SAN, prayed the court to release him on bail pending the determination of the case.
Burkaa, SAN, told the court that the defendant’s bail application was filed on June 13, noting that the prosecution failed to file any counter-affidavit to oppose it.
More so, he drew the attention of the trial judge to the fact that the former CBN governor is currently facing three other separate cases before the same high court.
He stressed that the defendant have continued to meticulously keep to all the terms upon which he was released on bail in all the cases.
In his ruling, Justice Halilu described the issue of bail as constitutional, adding that every accused person ought to be presumed as innocent until guilt is established.
The court said it was minded to adopt the existing bail conditions that were earlier granted to the defendant.
However, the court ordered the defendant to produce two sureties who must be owners of landed property situated in Abuja and valued N2billion.
According to the court, the sureties must sign an undertaking to always ensure Emefiele’s attendance to trial and must accept to be jailed or forfeit their property, should the defendant jump bail.
Following a passionate plea by the defence counsel, Justice Halilu gave the defendant till Wednesday to perfect the bail conditions or be remanded in Kuje prison.
The case was adjourned till July 11 for trial.
Meantime, the former CBN governor, on Monday, challenged the competence of the charge and the jurisdiction of the court to try him.
He insisted that the said forfeited property located at Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, which measured 150,462.86 SQM and comprised of 753 housing units, was not personally linked to him.
The EFCC had in the charge marked: CR/358/2025, alleged that Emefiele committed an offence punishable under Section 319 of the Penal Code Law.
He was charge alongside one Eric Ocheme who was said to be a large.
Asides from the seized duplexes, the two defendants were accused of unlawfully keeping in their possession, billions of naira in proxy accounts in Zenith Bank.
They were alleged to knowingly have in their possession, the sum of N167million domiciled in Kelvito Integrated Services’ account No: 1016232915, while in count-three, they were alleged to have held the sum of N1.23 bn in the same account.
In count-eight of the charge, Emefiele was said to have in January 2021, forged a document titled, “Irrevocable Power of Attorney Between MG Properties Limited and H and Y Business Global Limited” with the intention of causing it to be believed that the said titled document was executed by or by the authority of H and Y Business Global Limited.
The offences were said to be contrary to sections 319, 362 and 364 of the Penal Code.
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