ABUJA – Justice Muazu Hamza, of Federal Capital Territory FCT High Court, on Thursday, deferred the arraignment of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Wednesday, next week due to the absence of the second defendant, Sa’adatu Yaro
Though Emefiele was in court, the absence of Yaro, whose lawyer, said, took ill made continuation of trial difficult. Her lawyers urged the court to grant an adjournment to a new date for her appearance in court which the prosecutors, the Department of State Services (DSS) did not oppose.
Emefiele returned to the Abuja to commence fresh round of trial in a case where he has been slammed with a 20-count charge, bordering on fraud after dumping the illegal possession of arms charge he faced earlier in Lagos.
The Federal Government is filing the new charges against Emefiele, who has been in detention at the facility of the Department of State Services (DSS), since July 10, a day after he was suspended from office by President Bola Tinubu.
Among the counts are a N6.9 billion procurement fraud, conspiracy, and conferring corrupt advantages on his associates, alongside a female CBN employee, Sa’adatu Yaro, and her company, April 1616 Investment Limited.
The embattled apex bank boss, was sprung from the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos, and whisked away by the DSS officials after an ugly drama that saw them practically beating up an official of the Nigerian Correctional Services, on July 25, after Justice Nicolas Oweibo, granted him bail on the charge of illegal possession of firearms, which was formally withdrawn on Tuesday.
Accused of conferring corrupt advantages on Yaro, a director in April 1616 Investment Ltd., an offence contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practises and Other Related Offences Act 2000, which is punishable with five years imprisonment without the option of a fine, he was specifically said to have approved the purchase of 98 exotic vehicles and armoured buses valued at N6.9 billion, including 84 Toyota Hilux, three Toyota Landcruisers, one Toyota Avalon, and 10 armoured Mercedes Benz buses, between 2018 and 2020.
