The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has expressed its dissatisfaction with a judgment of the Federal Capital Territory High Court awarding N100 million damages against it in favour of a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
The PUNCH reports that Justice O.A. Adeniyi, on Monday, January 8, 2024, fined the EFCC after he ruled that the commission’s detention of Emefiele in the course of its investigation was a violation of his right to liberty.
Reacting to the development in a statement on Monday, the EFCC stated that it will approach the Court of Appeal to set the judgment aside while noting that the judge failed to take cognizance of the fact that the former CBN boss was held by the commission with a valid order of court
The state reads, “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has expressed dissatisfaction with a judgment of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court awarding N100 million damages against it in favour of a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
“Justice O.A Adeniyi, on Monday, January 8, 2024, fined the Commission after he ruled that the Commission’s detention of Emefiele in the course of his investigation was a violation of his right to liberty
“The decision failed to take cognizance of the fact that the former CBN boss was held with a valid order of court. Consequently, the commission will approach the Court of Appeal to set it aside.”
PUNCH Online reports that Emefiele had been allegedly involved in an ongoing investigation into fraudulent foreign exchange allocations.
The EFCC had written to over 85 entities comprising corporate organisations and individuals.
It was gathered that Emefiele might face an amended charge to include new discoveries in the ongoing probe of forex transactions under his probe.
The anti-graft agency has also summoned senior officials of the affected entities and mandated them to provide detailed documents of their foreign exchange transactions covering the last nine years.
(Punch)