Court denies Emefiele permission to travel to UK, gives reasons

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, turned down on Tuesday former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Godwin Emefiele’s request for permission to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.

The judge, Hamza Mu’azu, dismissed Mr Emefiele’s foreign trip application, upholding the objection by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EFCC, which is prosecuting Mr Emefiele on corruption charges in different courts, argued in opposition to the application that the former central bank chief could take flight from his trial if allowed to travel abroad.

Persuaded by EFCC’s contention on Tuesday, the judge held that Mr Emefiele could not prove the need for the scheduled trip between 28 July and 10 September with any medical appointment in any UK hospital.

Mr Mu’azu also held that though the court had the discretion to grant Mr Emefiele the travel permission, he is standing trial on various charges in three courts, two in FCT and one in Lagos.

”The letter of invitation for medical follow-up is not attached.

”As it stands now, I cannot use my discretion to grant the application, and he is standing trial in three courts.

”The application is hereby dismissed, and the adjourned date for continuation of trial still stands,” the judge held.

Charges

EFCC is prosecuting Mr Emefiele in 20 amended counts of conferment of corrupt advantages, conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, forgery, and obtaining about $6.23 million belonging to the Nigerian government by false pretence.

Mr Emefiele, governor of the CBN for nearly a decade, faces corruption charges in separate trials in Abuja and Lagos. The cases were instituted against him after President Bola Tinubu removed him from office in June 2023.

In the court where he sought permission to travel abroad, the EFCC accused him of forgery of a document titled: ‘Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions’.

According to the charges, Mr Emefiele purported that the allegedly forged document dated 26 January 2023 with reference number SGF.43/L.01/201 emanated from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) office.

The commission alleged in another count that on 8 February 2023, Mr Emefiele knowingly obtained, by false pretence, $6.23 million by falsely claiming that the SGF requested the money through the allegedly forged letter. The prosecution said the forged letter claimed that the SGF needed the money for “a contingent logistic advance” purportedly “in line with Mr President’s directive.”

The commission also accused him of conferring unfair and corrupt advantage on two companies, April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd, through contract awards while serving as CBN governor.

He has denied all the charges preferred against him in the separate trials.

The FCT High Court judge overseeing Mr Emefiele’s trial in Abuja, Mr Mu’azu, ordered the seizure of his passport as part of his bail conditions after his arraignment in November last year.

Arguments over medical trip

In June, Mr Enefiele’s lawyer, Mathew Burkaa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, informed the judge of the defendant’s medical trip application.

The judge subsequently heard the parties’ arguments on the application on 8 July.

At the hearing, the former CBN governor, through another of his lawyers, Labi Lawal, urged the court to release his passport, previously seized as part of his bail conditions, to enable him to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.

However, the prosecution counsel, Muhammad Omeiza, argued that no medical report was presented to the court demonstrating that Mr Emefiele was suffering from an ailment that could not be treated in Nigeria.

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He said the defence did not present any medical report showing that an ailment plagued Mr Emefiele.

He said there was also no evidence to show that his ailment cannot be treated locally in Nigeria.

He also said that Mr Emefiele posed a flight risk due to his connections with co-conspirators abroad and ongoing trials in three different courts.

However, the defence counsel faulted the prosecution’s arguments as speculative.

He said an international red alert could ensure Mr Emefiele’s return if he did not comply after the medical trip.

(NAN)