The family of the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has reportedly approached the federal government in search of a political solution to the alleged N6.9 billion fraud charges against him.
Emefiele’s trial was scheduled to take place in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), but it was stalled due to his plan to enter into a plea bargaining arrangement to potentially receive a softer punishment.
Emefiele is facing 20 counts of conspiracy and procurement fraud brought against him by the federal government.
The trial has been marked by heightened security. While he was expected to be arraigned and enter his plea before Justice Hamza Muazu, the case was not listed in the court’s cause list.
Although no official reason was given for the delay, sources suggest that Emefiele had expressed a willingness to engage in plea bargaining with the prosecution team, following provisions outlined in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
In a separate development, the fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Emefiele’s two brothers against the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) at the FCT High Court has been withdrawn.
The brothers sought the court’s intervention to safeguard their fundamental rights, including freedom of movement, and to prevent the DSS from involving them in matters related to the ongoing investigation of Godwin Emefiele.
At the latest hearing, the applicants’ lawyer informed the court that the applicants had decided to discontinue the case.
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