After his plea agreement with President Bola Tinubu’s government is complete, the troubled former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, is expected to be released from the Department of State Services’ (DSS) imprisonment, Anaedoonline.ng has learned.
Additionally, it was learned that Emefiele’s non-prosecution plea deal was contingent on him returning N50 billion that he had obtained through corruption.
According to Anaedoonline.ng, the non-prosecution plea agreement has been signed by Lateef Fagbemi, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), and is awaiting Tinubu’s approval.
In August, Anaedoonline.ng reported that the Nigerian government has charged Emefiele with 20 counts of conspiracy and procurement fraud. On August 17, 2023, authorities had transported him to court under tight security.
“The exclusive deal has been finalised awaiting Tinubu’s order. Tinubu is expected back in Nigeria this weekend after a medical visit to France. The DSS traced N72billion to a series of accounts which Emefiele had planned to use for his Presidential run. Also, $70million he hid with a couple who specialised in helping him to do round tripping was discovered,” a top source revealed to SaharaReporters on Friday.
“The federal investigators have traced ownership of Polaris bank to Emefiele. As well as several other banks he used people to set up,” the source revealed further.
Anaedoonline.ng had reported that the couple, Aminu Yaro, and his wife, Saadatu Yaro, were arrested by the DSS since July 12, in connection with investigations into Emefiele’s infractions.
Alongside his wife, Yaro, described as the Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos and Chairman of the Council of Chiefs, was arrested at their home in Abuja in the early hours of 12 July.
The arrest of the couple had concerned investigations into a case involving Emefiele — which bothered on forex differential fraud.
Newsmen had in August reported how the fundamental rights enforcement suit filed against the DSS and the AGF at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by two brothers of Emefiele was withdrawn.
The court’s vacation judge, Justice Emmanuel Okpe, had struck out the suit after the applicants through their lawyer informed the court of their decision to discontinue the case.
It was reported that the suspended CBN governor’s siblings – George Emefiele and Okanta Emefiele, had filed separate ex-parte motions at the court seeking order of the court to enforce their fundamental rights.
JUST IN: Suspended CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele Arrested By DSS
It had also been reported that the trial of Emefiele was stalled at the High Court of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) following his plan to enter into plea bargaining to get soft-landing.
Anaedoonline.ng had learnt from lawyers involved in the case that Emefiele opted to enter into plea bargaining with the prosecution team.
“The matter is not coming up; they are finding another way to resolve the matter and give him soft-landing,” one of the lawyers had said.
“They are moving to negotiate plea bargaining.”
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