Emefiele’s trial: Court sets June deadline to conclude Naira redesign case

Emefiele in court

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has fixed ten fresh hearing dates to conclude the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele, who is facing charges related to the naira redesign, filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The trial judge, Justice Maryann Anenih, set the dates on Wednesday following an agreement between counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), and Emefiele’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo (SAN).

The hearing dates are: February 3 and 10; April 1 and 2; May 11, 12, 13, and 14; and June 9 and 10, during which the court said the trial, which commenced in 2024, would be concluded.

Justice Anenih urged counsel on both sides to adhere strictly to the schedule, assuring them that the court would make adequate arrangements to accommodate the trial.

At Wednesday’s resumed hearing, EFCC witness, Emere Chinedu, an operative of the commission, testified that the Presidency under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari approved the redesign of the naira notes.

Chinedu, who headed the inter-agency probe panel investigating Emefiele, stated that the approval was communicated to the EFCC in writing following the commission’s enquiry.

He added, however, that the approval came with a proviso: the printing of the redesigned naira notes should be done locally, contrary to allegations that the notes were printed abroad under Emefiele’s watch. Punch