The Bola Tinubu-led government will on Thursday charge the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele, and his associates for N6.9 billion procurement fraud at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja.
Emefiele will be charged alongside a female CBN employee, Sa’adatu Yaro and her company, April 1616 Investment Limited on 20-count charge bordering on procurement fraud, conspiracy and conferring corrupt advantages on his associates.
Emefiele, who had been in detention since he was suspended from office on June 9 by President Tinubu, was accused of conferring corrupt advantages on Yaro, a director in April 1616 Investment Ltd.
The offence is contrary to section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.
If convicted, Emefiele may be sentenced to five years imprisonment without an option of a fine.
In the charges signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Abubakar; Deputy Director, Public Prosecution, Mrs N Jones-Nebo and eight other officials, the three accused persons were alleged to have bought a fleet of over 98 exotic vehicles and armoured buses valued at about N6.9 billion.
Some of the vehicles bought between 2018 and 2020 included 84 Toyota Hilux vehicles, 10 armoured Mercedes Benz buses, three Toyota Landcruisers and one Toyota Avalon car.
Emefiele was said to have also conferred a corrupt advantage on Yaro by awarding a contract for the supply of one Toyota Avalon at the cost of N99.9m to her company, April1616 Investment Ltd., in 2019.
The suspended governor was also accused of awarding a contract for the supply of another Toyota Landcruiser V8 for N77.050m to the third defendant in 2018.
Listed as witnesses against the defendants were the CBN Director of Procurement, Stanley Alvan; CBN Head of Procurement, Mike Agboro, Tahir Jafar, David Usman and any other witnesses to be supplied later in the additional proof of evidence.
