Onyeka Ogbu, the lead witness in the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, has revealed how the former apex bank boss authorized the release of $6,230,000 to international election observers.
Ogbu, who holds the position of Deputy Director in charge of branch operations at the CBN, made the revelation during the proceedings at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory on Monday.
He is the first witness, PW-1, in the amended 20-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Emefiele.
Presented as evidence by the EFCC’s attorney, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the witness pointed out certain documents that he claimed were connected to the distribution of the authorized funds to the international election observers.
The witness informed the court that he became aware of the approval through one of the departments at the CBN. He further explained that his specific task was to facilitate the release of the requested funds in compliance with the established procedures.
“On January 8, 2023, the request for payment of $6,230, 000 was brought to my attention by the Banking Services Department.
“Ours is to make payment. We do not have the power to approve.
“So, having gone through the documents and satisfied, I minuted on it and sent for processing and disbursement which was complied with,” the witness added
In the process of identifying the documents, it came to light that two of them were actually missing.
As a result, the prosecutor requested a temporary halt in the trial to allow time for locating the missing documents.
However, Emefiele’s attorney, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), contended that rather than a temporary halt, the case should be adjourned to a later date. This would give the prosecution an opportunity to organize their evidence and provide an opportunity for cross-examination of the witness.
In response to these arguments, Justice Hamza Muazu decided to adjourn the proceedings until Tuesday, when the hearing will resume.
The previous governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria was re-arraigned by the anti-corruption agency on January 20th. The amended charge included accusations of criminal conspiracy, forgery, breach of trust, and the allegation that he used his position for personal gain.
Initially, the EFCC had charged the defendant with six counts related to a N1.2 billion procurement fraud.
In the revised charge, the agency claimed that the defendant obtained approximately $6.2 million through deceitful means. They alleged that he falsely portrayed himself as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
He was accused of committing an offense that violated Section 1(1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and is punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
As per the modified charge, labeled as CR/577/2023, Emefiele, on February 8, 2023, conspired with an individual named Odoh Ocheme, who is currently evading arrest, to fraudulently obtain $6.2 million from the CBN. They claimed that the funds were requested by the SGF through a letter dated January 26, 2023, with Reference Number SGF.43/L.01/201.
