THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared the wife of a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and three others wanted for money laundering.
According to the anti-fraud commission, Margaret Emefiele, Anita Omoile, and her husband, Jonathan Omoile and Eric Odoh, were declared wanted Friday, February 9, for allegedly conspiring with the former CBN Governor “to convert huge sums of money belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria and committed felony to wit: obtaining money by pretenses, and stealing, contrary to and punishable under Sections 411, 287, and 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.”
This was disclosed in a post on X by the EFCC late Friday night.
The document read, “Emefiele, Odoh, Mr and Mrs Omoile, wanted by the EFCC. The quartet of Eric Odoh, Margaret Emefiele, Anita Omoile, and Jonathan Omoile are wanted by the EFCC for offenses bothering economic and financial crimes. Any information on their whereabouts? Please contact the nearest EFCC Command or the nearest police Station.”
The wife of Godwin Emefiele and others were declared wanted in connection with the ongoing legal procedures against him, where he was accused of defrauding the government out of ₦1.8 billion and $6.2 million.
Emefiele was accused in the most recent revised accusation of posing as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to obtain $6.2 million illegally. The case was made before Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.
According to the EFCC, Emefiele and Odoh Ocheme got the cash from the CBN using false pretences, claiming the SGF had requested them.
Emefiele was also charged with fabricating paperwork and giving his brother-in-law and wife bribes in exchange for contracts to renovate the CBN Governor’s mansion in Lagos.
According to the EFCC, Emefiele’s purported conduct violated Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Act 2000.
There are a total of 20 counts against Emefiele in the updated charge sheet.
The judge postponed the hearing to Friday so the former CBN governor could enter a plea regarding the revised charges.
When Emefiele was first charged in August 2023, he was charged with N6.5 billion worth of procurement fraud.
Then, he was accused of April 1616 Investment, the company owned by Sa’adatu Yaro, a female employee of CBN.
Subsequently, the EFCC modified the accusation, lowering the number of suspected procurement fraud to N1.2 billion, eliminating the names of Yaro and April 1616 Investment, and cutting the number of counts to six.
On November 29, 2023, Emefiele was arraigned on the second accusation and entered a not guilty plea.
Before the most recent revision, the EFCC had already summoned three witnesses before it commenced its trial.
A reporter with the ICIR
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