A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Thursday, January 18, 2024, granted the embattled former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele’s request to travel out of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This was as the charge against the former Governor of the CBN, Emefiele was amended to 20 from six.
The amended charges against him now includes criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, procurement fraud and conspiracy to commit felony.
The court presided over by Justice Hamza Muazu, however declared that Emefiele must remain within the country.
Emefiele had through his lawyer, Mathew Bukka, SAN, requested for a variation of the terms of his bail conditions that restricted to the FCT.
Counsel of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, did not object but, urged the court to ensure that Emefiele wrote an undertaking that he would remain in the country if his plea was granted.
The court had on December 24, 2023 granted Emefiele bail in sum of N300 million with two sureties in like sum as his lawyer, Mathew Burkaa, told newsmen that Emefiele was released from the Kuje Correctional Centre after his bail conditions were perfected.
Emefiele was arraigned on a six-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and using his position to confer a corrupt advantage on Sa’adatu Yaro, a staff of the CBN, by awarding a contract for the procurement of 43 vehicles worth N1.2 billion between 2018 and 2020.
While he was remanded in Kuje prison, Emefiele was mandated to deposit all his travel documents with the Registrar of the FCT High Court and directed to restrict himself within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
