By Halimah Olamide
The Former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has regained freedom from the Kuje Correctional Centre after meeting his N300 million bail condition.
He was released on Friday, December 22, 2023.
The spokesperson for the Kuje Correctional Centre, FCT, Adamu Duza, confirmed the news on Saturday, stating that Emefiele had met his bail conditions and had no reason to stay in the facility.
The judge therefore instructed Emefiele to deposit all his travel documents with the court registrar and stay within the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
Before his release, the judge had initially ordered him to remain in Kuje Correctional Centre until he fulfilled the bail conditions.
Despite objections from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Justice Muazu, who presided over the case, disagreed that Emefiele posed a flight risk or could jeopardise the investigation. After granting bail, the judge scheduled the trial on November 28.
Emefiele stood trial on six counts bordering on procurement fraud of N1.2bn.
Meanwhile, after more than four months of investigation, the Special Investigator probing the CBN governor, Jim Obazee, revealed that Emefiele and others embezzled billions of naira and committed other gross financial offences.
According to the report which was submitted to President Bola Tinubu on December 9 2023, it was indicated that Emefiele who was in office from June 2014 to June 2023, engaged in fraudulent cash withdrawal of $6.23 million”, and perpetrated fraud in the redesign of the naira, while he allegedly kept 543.4 million pounds in the United Kingdom.