Court fixes date for ruling on Emefiele’s request for overseas medical trip
Emefele in court
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Published By: Ayorinde Oluokun
The Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), High Court has fixed 8 July for ruling on the prayer of Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the release of his passport to enable him to travel overseas for medical attention.
Justice Hamza Mua’zu gave the date after Emefiele’s counsel, Mathew Burkaa during proceedings on Tuesday informed him of his client’s subsisting application in respect of his overseas medical check-up which the judge deferred ruling on till July 8, 2024.
However, in continuation of the day’s business, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC through its counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo SAN, presented Prosecution Witness 8, (PW8), Umar Abba Tilde, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank and Prosecution Witness 9 (PW9), Abibiya-Ockiya-Ogeleye, a legal practitioner with A&A Legal Consociate, which offered legal services to Architekun Nigeria Limited, a contractor company for CBN, owned by the former CBN governor’s wife, Margaret Emefiele and her brother Jonathan Omoile.
The PW8 in his testimony, identified Emefiele’s statement of account and certificate of identification which were signed by him and later sent by the bank to the EFCC upon request in July 2023. They were marked Exhibits ED1, ED2 and ED3 and admitted in evidence.
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Testifying further under Oyedepo’s guidance, the witness disclosed that Emefiele authorized the transfer of N4million to Architekun Nigeria Limited and that the former CBN governor had additional 10 bank accounts with Zenith Bank, to wit: 2020000064, 5370000045, 5160000523, 5400000128, 5380056733, 1020000098, 5070019307, 20200000064, 2010001617 and 9013054534, which according to the witness, consist of salaries, investments and savings accounts.
PW9, in her testimony disclosed that her firm rendered legal services to Architekun Nigeria Limited. “We rendered incorporation matters with CAC for the company, filed their annual reports and changed the directors of the company as well the shareholders of the company. Sometime in 2021, one Madam Esther Omoile called and asked me to add her as the director of the company,” she said.
According to the witness, “The transfer of shareholders was in Page 5 and 6. The shares of Omoile Lakunbo were transferred to Omoile Margaret. The share is 90, 000 ordinary shares, and the date was 4th of March, 2020. Lakunbo also transferred 100,000 shares to Esther. Three directors in the company during registration with CAC are Omoile Lakunbo, Omoile Margaret and Esther Oyeladu”.
Justice Mu’azu adjourned the matter till October 21, 22 and 23, 2024 for continuation of trial.
