Former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele has been released from Kuje Correctional Centre after meeting his bail conditions.
His lawyer, Mathew Burkaa, SAN disclosed to journalists on Friday after he perfected his bail conditions.
Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal High court, Abuja had granted Godwin Emefiele bail in sum of N300 million with two sureties in like sum.
The embattled former CBN Governor was arraigned on a six-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and using his position to confer a corrupt advantage on Sa’adatu Yaro, a staff of CBN, by awarding a contract for the procurement of 43 vehicles worth N1.2 billion between 2018 and 2020, on November 18th.
While he was remanded in Kuje, Emefiele was mandated to deposit all his travel documents with the registrar of the court and must remain within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
The trial over his alleged procurement of vehicles has already begun before Justice Hamza Muazu.
Emefiele’s freedom is however coming after a new allegation against him emerged following more than four months of investigation by the Special Investigator probing the Central Bank of Nigeria, Jim Obazee.
Obaze accused Emefiele and others of embezzling billions of naira and committed other gross financial offences.
According to a report by the online newspaper Premium Times, Obazee’s findings and recommendations were contained in a report he submitted to President Bola Tinubu on December 9, 2023.
The findings include that Emefiele who was in office from June 2014 to June 2023, was engaged “in fraudulent cash withdrawal of $6.23 million”, and perpetrated fraud in the redesign of the naira, while Emefiele kept 543.4 million pounds in the United Kingdom.
