The proceedings for the case of procurement fraud against Nigeria’s suspended and detained central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, encountered a setback on Wednesday, with no new hearing date being set.
Emefiele was scheduled to present his plea on Wednesday, but he did not appear in court, and his case was notably absent from the court’s cause list.
The suspended central bank governor is facing a 20-count charge related to unlawful procurement and providing an illicit advantage to a central bank employee.
Several local newspapers reported on Wednesday that Emefiele was considering a plea bargain to potentially resolve the matter outside the courtroom.
In June, President Bola Tinubu imposed Emefiele’s suspension, and the Department of State Security (DSS) subsequently detained him.
President Tinubu, who is initiating the most substantial reforms in Nigeria in over a decade, has initiated an investigation into the central bank’s actions under Emefiele’s leadership. This move followed his critique of the bank’s policies during his May inauguration, particularly addressing measures taken to support the national currency, the naira.
