Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is reported to have opted for a plea bargain that will shift his court arraignment for an indefinite period of time.
According to sources aware of the development, Saadat Yaro and Emefiele opted for a plea bargain strategy to settle with the Federal Government.
Recall that the federal government filed a 20-count complaint against the suspect alleging violations of procurement regulations and contract inflation which amounted to N6.9 billion.
However, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory’s scheduled arraignment for this Wednesday was not listed on the court’s cause list this morning.
However, the arraignment scheduled for Wednesday by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory was not stated on the cause list of the court this morning.
Similarly, Emefiele and his co-defendant, Yaro were not in court neither was any unusual security presence observed around the court premises.
The lawyers of the parties involved in the matter were also not present in court.
The arraignment was shifted at the request of the suspended CBN Governor, according to Daily Post, which cited sources considered to be in the know. This was done in order to allow all parties to reach an arrangement.
The change in the arraignment was also reportedly verified by Emefiele’s attorney Kehinde Akinlolu (SAN), who also suggested that the Chief Judge, Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf, would set a new date.
The court has begun hearings on other cases on the cause list in the meantime.
Ada Peter
