Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has asked a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court to dismiss the case against him related to alleged procurement fraud.
The request was made during a court session on Tuesday, where Emefiele is facing charges from the federal government.
The case, involving numerous allegations, includes accusations such as criminal breach of trust and forgery.
Specifically, Emefiele is accused of using his position to award contracts for vehicles to a company linked to a CBN staff member, amounting to over N1.2 billion between 2018 and 2022.
Emefiele has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
During the hearing, his lawyer, Mathew Burkaa, argued that the prosecution failed to appear in court without sending anyone in their place.
He pointed out that the prosecution had previously requested an adjournment for the case but had not provided a valid reason for not being present.
Burkaa also mentioned that Emefiele and his team traveled from Lagos for the trial, highlighting the inconvenience caused by the prosecution’s absence.
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He urged the court to dismiss the case altogether since there was no formal request for an adjournment from the attorney-general of the federation.
Justice Hamza Muazu, after considering Burkaa’s request, decided to give the prosecution one last chance to appear.
He warned that if they did not show up at the next scheduled hearing, the court would take appropriate action.
The case has been adjourned to October 22 for further proceedings.
