A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has fixed ten fresh days for the conclusion of the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, over corruption charges linked to the naira redesign policy.
Justice Maryann Anenih fixed the dates on Wednesday following an agreement between counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, and Emefiele’s counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo, SAN.
The court scheduled the hearings for February 3 and 10; April 1 and 2; May 11, 12, 13, and 14; as well as June 9 and 10, during which the trial, which began in 2024, is expected to be concluded.
Justice Anenih directed both parties to strictly adhere to the dates, assuring them that the court would make adequate arrangements to accommodate the proceedings.
At Wednesday’s sitting, an EFCC witness, Mr Emere Chinedu, admitted under oath that the Presidency under former President Muhammadu Buhari approved the redesign of the naira notes.
Chinedu, an EFCC operative and head of the inter-agency probe panel that investigated Emefiele, however, told the court that the approval was conditional, with the Presidency directing that the printing of the new notes should be done locally.
He said the directive was contained in a written response from the State House to an inquiry by the EFCC during its investigation.
“In the course of our job, we extended our investigation to the State House for records of approval for the naira redesign. The response of the State House was communicated to the EFCC in writing.
“The State House gave approval for the naira redesign, but with a proviso that it must be done locally,” the witness said.
The EFCC operative also disclosed that Emefiele made six extrajudicial statements while appearing before the probe panel, dated October 26, 27, 30, and 31, as well as November 1 and 2, 2023.
During cross-examination, the witness declined to confirm Emefiele’s claim that a former EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, was the first to suggest the naira redesign to President Buhari, noting that the EFCC lacked the power to propose changes to the currency’s design.
He further admitted that video clips showing Nigerians complaining of hardship during the naira redesign, which were tendered in court by the EFCC, were downloaded from the internet and predated the panel’s investigation.
According to him, the videos were submitted to demonstrate the injuries allegedly suffered by Nigerians during the policy’s implementation, adding that he did not interview any staff of the television stations that produced the materials.
Emefiele is being prosecuted in the charge marked FTC/HC/CR/264/2024 and has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Justice Anenih adjourned further cross-examination of the witness to February 3.
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