EFCC Challenges Emefiele's No-Case Submission in Court

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested Justice Hamza Mu’azu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja to dismiss a no-case submission filed by Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The EFCC claims that the prosecution has established a prima facie case against Emefiele, who faces an amended 20-count charge that includes allegations of criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office, conspiracy, and obtaining money by false pretence, specifically concerning the withdrawal of $6.23 million and corrupt advantages in CBN contracts.

Prosecution counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) argued that the no-case submission's purpose is to assess whether a prima facie case exists, not to determine guilt. Oyedepo highlighted Emefiele's connections to companies linked to his relatives and noted that contracts valued between $6 million and $10 million bypassed the Major Contracts Tender Board, violating the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

This circumvention allegedly prevented necessary scrutiny of the procurement process.