A FEDERAL Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, has granted former Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele’s request to travel out of the FCT.
However, the court said he must not travel out of Nigeria.
The former apex bank chief had been restricted to the FCT by his bail conditions.
He is being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for crimes he allegedly committed in office before President Bola Tinubu suspended him in June, 2023.
He had been kept in the custody of the State Security Services (DSS), the EFCC and the Kuje Correctional before he regained his freedom through a bail in December, 2023.
Emefiele had asked for a change in the terms of his bail condition through his attorney, Mathew Bukka.
The EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, a senior advocate, did not raise any objection to the request.
He urged the judge to ensure Emefiele sign a document committing him to stay in the country if his plea was accepted.
The accusation against the former CBN governor was also changed from six to twenty.
The new allegations against Emefiele now include conspiracy to commit procurement fraud, forgery, criminal breach of trust, and conspiracy to commit crime.
On Wednesday, November 22, a Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, granted Emefiele N300 million bail and two sureties in the like sum.
According to the judge, Hamza Muazu, the titles and certificates of occupancy for the properties held by the sureties must be from within the Maitama District.
Emefiele must stay inside the Abuja Municipal Area Council and deposit his travel documents with the court registrar.
This came four months after the Federal High Court in Lagos granted him N20 million bail in a different case involving the unlawful possession of weapons.
The ICIR reported on Friday, November 17, that Emefiele was sent to Kuje Correctional Centre over an alleged N1.6 billion procurement fraud.
The former CBN governor was arraigned on a six-count charge at a FCT High Court, Abuja.
The Federal Government said in its charge sheet that Emefiele unlawfully purchased 43 vehicles for N1.2 billion between 2018 and 2020.
He was also charged with giving corrupt benefits in violation of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Act 2000 when he granted N73 million for the supply of a Toyota Landcruiser in 2019.
The ICIR reported that an FCT High Court granted the former CBN chief bail on November 8.
The judge, Olukayode Adeniyi, ordered that he be released immediately to his lawyers, who must bring him into court for arraignment the following week or any other day.
On January 8, 2024, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court fined the Nigerian Government one hundred million naira for infringing on Emefiele’s rights.
The court ruled that Emefiele’s detention without charge or trial violated his constitutional rights.
The court joined the EFCC in the N100 million fine.
It also prohibited the Federal Government or its representatives from arresting or detaining the former CBN chief without a court order.
The ruling was made in a fundamental human rights lawsuit by Emefiele after spending weeks in the SSS custody.
A reporter with the ICIR
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