Court to rule on Emefiele’s request for permission to travel abroad

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has fixed 17 July for ruling on former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Godwin Emefiele’s application for the release of his passport to enable him to travel abroad for medical treatment.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is prosecuting Mr Emefiele on corruption charges before the court, opposed the application during a hearing on Monday.

EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, issued a press statement regarding the hearing.

The commission accuses 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.

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, Hamza Mu’azu, ordered the seizure of his passport as part of his bail conditions after his arraignment in November last year.

Overseas travel application

At the last proceedings 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 adjourned the hearing of the application till Monday (today),

On Monday, 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.

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 stated 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.

After listening to both sides, Mr Mu’azu fixed 16 July for ruling on the application.