Emefiele Seeks to Stop Prosecution in $6.3bn Fraud Case

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, has asked an Abuja High Court to terminate the prosecution’s case if key witnesses are not presented at the next hearing.

The application was made through his lawyer, Matthew Burkaa, during proceedings on Monday.

The defence made the request after prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court that he could not guarantee the appearance of two remaining witnesses.

He explained that subpoenas had not yet been processed and that the witnesses were outside the court’s jurisdiction

Emefiele is facing multiple allegations, including: Criminal breach of trust, Forgery, Abuse of office, Conspiracy, Obtaining money under false pretence

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alleges that he fraudulently secured $6.3 billion, reportedly intended for international election observers during the 2023 general elections.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

At the resumed hearing, the prosecution called its 13th witness, Chinedu Eneanya.

The witness told the court that investigations revealed funds were withdrawn from the CBN under the pretext of financing election observers.

He further stated that signatures attributed to former President Muhammadu Buhari and former SGF Boss Mustapha were allegedly forged to facilitate the transaction.

During cross-examination, the witness admitted that no forensic analysis was conducted on Emefiele’s signature, despite claims of forgery.

He also confirmed that several CBN officials involved in the transaction were not charged but had been suspended.

The defence questioned the credibility of the testimony and urged the court to treat it cautiously

Emefiele’s counsel argued that repeated delays by the prosecution were unfair and amounted to undue hardship on the defendant.

He requested that the court close the prosecution’s case if the witnesses fail to appear at the next sitting.

In response, Oyedepo urged the court not to grant the application, stating that it would prevent the prosecution from fully presenting its case.

Presiding judge Hamza Muazu advised both parties to reserve arguments for final submissions.

He directed the prosecution to obtain the necessary subpoenas and adjourned the matter until Tuesday for continuation of trial.