The trial of former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele faced a delay as his legal team requested an adjournment following the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) provision of additional proof of evidence.
The trial judge, Justice Rahman Oshodi, approved the adjournment till May 9th to continue cross-examining the second prosecution witness, John Ayoh, a former Director of Information Technology of the CBN.
Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, face a 26-count charge over alleged $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion fraud, to which they pleaded not guilty during their arraignment on April 8.
The trial commenced on April 12 with the testimony of the first prosecution witness, Monday Osazuwa, a CBN staff, who detailed Emefiele’s directives to collect millions of dollars in cash.
At the recent proceeding, the prosecution team, led by Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court of the additional proof of evidence served on the defence, prompting objections from Emefiele’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), who requested time to review the documents.
Adeyinka Kotoye (SAN), counsel to the second defendant, echoed the request for an adjournment to ensure fairness and adequate preparation.
However, the prosecution counsel, Oyedepo, opposed the adjournment, arguing that the documents had been made available to the defence since April 4 and urging for the trial’s expeditious determination.
After considering the submissions, Justice Oshodi granted the adjournment, acknowledging the merit of the defence’s reasons, and scheduled the continuation of the trial for May 9, 2024.