A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, has granted permission to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for its two additional witnesses to give evidence virtually in the case against the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele.

The two witnesses, said to be in the United Kingdom, were permitted by Justice Maryanne Anenih on Thursday to testify digitally at a date to be fixed.

At Thursday’s proceedings, EFCC’s lead counsel, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, informed the court of his intention to call two additional witnesses to testify in the trial of Emefiele and establish the charges against him.

The senior lawyer also stated that he had filed additional proof of evidence to substantiate the charges before the court.

Emefiele’s lead counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo, SAN, objected to the anti-graft agency’s informal request, arguing that the FCT High Court, being a court of record, required the EFCC to file a formal application stating clearly the names of the two witnesses, what they intend to say in court, and the reasons for their preference to give evidence virtually.

Ojo’s attention, however, was drawn to the application for additional proof of evidence, where the names of the two witnesses were mentioned and reasons for adopting virtual evidence were provided.

Justice Anenih subsequently granted the request, permitting the anti-graft agency to conduct its trial of Emefiele with respect to the two witnesses virtually.

Also at the proceedings, an EFCC witness, Mr. Chinedu Eneanya, who claimed to have participated in the investigation into allegations against Emefiele regarding the Naira redesign, narrated how the complaint against Emefiele was referred to his team.

He said that in the course of the investigation, his team invited four Deputy Governors of the CBN who served under Emefiele—Adesonubi Folasodun, Adamu Edward, Kingsley Obiora, and Mrs. Aisha Ahmed—who all volunteered statements to the agency regarding their involvement in the Naira redesign.

The witness later identified and tendered the statements of the deputy governors, which were made on different days.

He also tendered a statement obtained from Ahmed Halilu, a former Managing Director of the Nigeria Security, Minting, and Printing Company.

The extra-judicial statements were admitted by Justice Anenih following no objections.

In his evidence, the witness told the court how, on October 6, 2022, Emefiele authored a memo to former President Muhammadu Buhari seeking approval to redesign the Naira notes, comprising N1,000, N500, N200, and N100 denominations.

In the 11-page memo, Eneanya said that specimens of the proposed redesign were attached and that Buhari gave immediate approval with the condition that the production of the new notes must be done locally.

However, the witness said that other specimens were produced by the defendant on the grounds that the minting company could not cope with the production of the initial specimens within the time frame approved for the exercise.

He said that Emefiele and the Managing Director of the Nigeria Security, Minting, and Printing Company, Mr. Ahmed Halilu, worked on the presidential approval and opted for color-swapping as the only visible alternative to deliver within the timeframe.

Besides, the witness also claimed that a United Kingdom-based company, De La Rue, was involved in the color redesign and was paid £205,000 for consultancy services.

Answering a question from EFCC’s lawyer, the witness alleged that Emefiele breached the presidential directive by departing from the originally approved color and by allegedly involving a foreign company in the redesign production.

Meanwhile, the matter has been adjourned to April 29 for the continuation of the witness’s evidence.

EFCC’s witnesses to testify virtually in charges against Emefiele on Naira redesign