A Nigerian court has granted bail to former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, who has been charged with six counts of fraud and corruption.
Emefiele, suspended as head of the central bank in June and arrested by the security services, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He was granted bail by Justice Hamza Muazu on Wednesday subject to the provision of a 300 million naira (roughly $333,000) bond and two sureties with properties in the upscale Maitama district of the country’s capital Abuja.
“I hereby admit the applicant [Emefiele] to bail subject to his appearance in court,” Justice Muazu said in his ruling.
The judge asked Emefiele, 62, to deposit his travel documents with the court and remain in Abuja while the case against him proceeds.
The disgraced former bank chief, who made an unprecedented run for the Nigerian presidency last year, was one of the country’s most powerful people in the last decade. He was head of the bank for nine years, mostly under President Bola Tinubu’s predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
Emefiele oversaw a much-criticised system of multiple exchange rates used to keep the local naira currency artificially strong.
But then he fell out of favour with the government after Buhari’s exit and resigned in August, paving the way for Tinubu’s appointment of new central bank governor Olayemi Cardoso.
At his inauguration in May, Tinubu, who announced economic reforms, had said the central bank policy needed “thorough house-cleaning”.
Emefiele has since been accused of “conferring corrupt advantage”. Prosecutors cut the charges from a previous 20-count indictment, which he faced along with two others, so he could be tried separately and quickly.
He has not commented publicly on the case.
Latest Stories
-
Krachi East leads Oti MDAs in 2023 Performance Evaluation
50 seconds -
Ghana is destined for greatness – Akufo-Addo
7 minutes -
‘None of us expected this outcome, but God intervened’ – Speaker Bagbin on 2024 Elections
11 minutes -
Court convict’s miner for setting stepfather’s house on fire
17 minutes -
‘Ghana remains a beacon of hope and democracy for Africa’ – Bagbin urges unity after 2024 elections
20 minutes -
Herbalist, 45, jailed for defiling 10-year-old boy
31 minutes -
‘The future is bright’ – Speaker Bagbin inspires youth in Christmas message
45 minutes -
Cucumbers – Making the most of them
6 hours -
Revenue growth to slowdown to GH¢209.3bn in 2025; T-bills will not be restructured – IC Research
7 hours -
Deloitte celebrates end-of-year Thanksgiving Service
8 hours -
Inflation to end 2025 between 10% and 12% – Databank Research
8 hours -
Government’s commitment to fiscal consolidation to remain strong in 2025
8 hours -
ImageBureau, April Communications take theatre to Nsawam Prisons
8 hours -
Bird flu kills 20 big cats at US animal sanctuary
9 hours -
Your peaceful conduct saved the country from tension – Clergymen commend Bawumia
9 hours