Godwin Emefiele, the controversially suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and his co-defendant were not present in court on Wednesday, according to Mohammed Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the Federal Ministry of Justice.
According to Anaedoonline.ng, the federal government charged the suspects with 20 counts totaling N6.9 billion for allegedly breaking procurement regulations and contract inflation.
The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory’s Wednesday arraignment, however, was not listed on the court’s cause list.
REVEALED: Emefiele To Resign As CBN Gov, Opted For Plea Bargain
Likewise, neither Emefiele nor his co-defendant Saadat Yaro were present in court, and there was no unusual security presence seen in the area of the courthouse.
In addition, none of the parties’ solicitors attended the hearing.
The anticipated arraignment for Emefiele and Ramallan-Yaro was delayed for the second time.
According to reports, Emefiele chose a plea agreement with the federal government to resolve the allegations brought against him.
According to sources familiar with the development, Saadat Yaro, Emefiele’s co-accused, and they chose to settle with the government through a plea agreement.
However, the DPP revealed that Emefiele was not arraigned on Wednesday due to safety concerns surrounding the court in an interview with Premium Times on Thursday in Abuja.
James Ibori ‘Facilitates’ Plea Bargain Between Emefiele And Tinubu Govt
Abubakar said: “You remember at the last sitting, some angry persons mobilized to the court threatening to lynch him (Mr Emefiele).
“We were ready to bring the defendants to court for arraignment on Wednesday, but we received an intelligence report that some people were out to foment trouble. So, we had to shelve the arraignment.”
Abubakar insisted that a plea arrangement had been discussed in the case but asserted that neither his co-defendant Emefiele nor the prosecution had made a plea proposal.
“As far as we are concerned, there is no such application for plea bargain before the Ministry of Justice,” he said.
The law does, however, allow for a plea bargain, and if “there is any such request, it would be considered,” he continued.
UPDATE: Again, Emefiele’s Arraignment Over Alleged Procurement Fraud Stalled
According to Anaedoonline.ng, a plea bargain is a judicial procedure that enables a person accused with a crime in court, typically before a trial starts or gets to a certain point, to admit guilt to a lesser crime in exchange for a lenient sentence.
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