The defendants were accused of accepting gratification, gifts through agents, corruption and fraudulent property acquisition.
By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – The immediate-past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has been remanded in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the order of Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja.
Justice Oshodi gave the order on Monday, April 8, 2024, when Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, were arraigned by the anti-graft body.
The defendants were accused of accepting gratification, gifts through agents, corruption and fraudulent property acquisition.
He was also accused of conferring corrupt advantage on his associates contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act, 2000, in the charge filed on April 3, 2024, by the EFCC Prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).
They pleaded not guilty to a fresh 26-count charge bordering on abuse of office brought against his by EFCC. While the embattled former CBN Governor will remain behind bars until Thursday, when his bail application will be determined by the judge, Omoile was remanded Omoile in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS).
In his statement, the defence lawyer, Abdulakeem Ladi-Lawal, urged the court to admit his client to bail on self-recognition or on the most liberal terms.
He further requested the court to impose the same bail conditions earlier granted to the defendant by Justice Hamzat Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja, which provided his release to his lawyers pending the perfection of the bail terms.
The EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), did not oppose the bail application but urged the judge to impose conditions that would compel the defendants to come court for their trial.
Emefiele is already undergoing trial by the EFCC at the FCT High Court in Abuja over allegations of fraudulent financial transactions during his time in office as CBN governor.