Emefiele, faces charges of alleged N1.6bn procurement fraud, with Toyota Avalon valued at N99.9m involved

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has been charged by the Federal Government on six counts related to purported procurement.

The initial 20 charges, totaling N6.5 billion, have been lowered to six counts, totaling N1.6 billion. In the new charge, Emefiele is the only defendant.

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After the six-count accusation was read to him, the former CBN governor entered a not guilty plea when he appeared in court on Friday to request bail.

Just in time for the day’s activities to get underway, Emefiele arrived.

The updated charge sheet indicates that procurement fraud is still a possibility in these counts.

The Federal Government said in the new charge sheet that Emefiele unlawfully purchased 43 automobiles for N1.2 billion between 2018 and 2020.

He was charged with giving a contract of N854 million to buy 37 Toyota Hilux vehicles.

The Federal Government has charged the immediate former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, on a six-count charge bordering on unlawful procurement.

“That sometime in 2018 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, you, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, male, adult, did use your position as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to confer a corrupt advantage on Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro, a staff member of the Central Bank of Nigeria by awarding a contract for the supply of 37 Toyota Hilux Vehicles at the cost of N854,700,000 only to April1616 Investment Ltd, a company in which the said Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro is a director of, and thereby committed an offence.” read the first count.

“A staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria by awarding a contract for the supply of one Toyota Avalon at the cost of N99,900,000 only to April1616 Investment Ltd, a company in which the said Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro Director and thereby committed an offence,” is how Emefiele was accused in the second count of abusing his position to corruptly confer an advantage on Yaro.

In addition, he was charged with giving corrupt benefit in violation of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practises and Other Related Offences Act 2000 when he granted N73 million for the supply of a single Toyota Landcruiser V8 April1616 Investment Ltd. in 2019.

The fourth count concerned a Toyota Landcruiser V8 that April 1616 Investment Ltd. was wrongfully given for N73,800,000.

The Federal Government also charged the previous governor of the CBN with giving Yaro a contract for N44,200,000 in 2020 for the supply of two Toyota Hilux Shell Specification Vehicles.

The Federal Capital Territory High Court’s Justice Hamza Muazu postponed the case until November 22 in order to rule on Emefiele’s bail request and November 28 in order to start the trial.

He commanded Emefiele to be placed under remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre in the interim.