A Deputy Director in charge of Branch Operations at the Central Bank of Nigeria – CBN, says he is aware of a $6.2 million payment request for international election observers.
Onyeka Ogbu, told the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja that the request was made on January 8, 2023.
He said that he evaluated the documentation and then gave consent for distribution, which was then carried out.
All documents were identified, although some pages were missing. This prompted the prosecution lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, to request a temporary pause so that the problem of missing pages could be addressed.
Emefiele’s counsel, Matthew Burkaa, objected, stating that the prosecution is bound by the evidence revealed in the documents.
He noted that adjournment is preferable to allow the prosecution to obtain all certified true copies and for the witness to be cross-examined.
After hearing their comments, Justice Hamza Muazu delayed the trial till Tuesday to continue.
Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the bank, is on trial on 20 charge counts, including criminal conspiracy, conferring undue benefit, and breach of trust, brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He was accused of impersonating the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to illegally obtain $6.2 million.
