Special investigative committee reportedly uncovers fresh ‘N3trn’ linked to ex-CBN gov, Emefiele

A fresh revelation from the investigative committee set up by President Bola Tinubu has revealed that former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, allegedly stole N3 trillion from two projects alone, SaharaReporters reported on Sunday.

Top sources privy to the findings made by the committee told the online newspaper that the whopping amount was made from COVID loans and the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme Fund alone.

In July, Tinubu appointed a special investigator to probe the apex bank.

In a letter dated July 28, 2023, the president named the Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, Jim Obazee, as the special investigator.

The President asked Obazee to investigate CBN and key Government Business Entities. The committee only reports to the President.

The appointment of Obazee came over a month after Tinubu suspended Emefiele as the CBN governor.

Shortly after his suspension in June, Emefiele was arrested and taken into custody by Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS).

Sources told SaharaReporters that Obazee’s investigative committee found out that Emefiele stole N3 trillion from the two projects, among other atrocities committed as the head of the apex bank.

“A fresh revelation from the committee set up by Tinubu to look into how Emefiele mismanaged the CBN shows that he practically stole N3 trillion from those two projects alone,” one of the sources said.

In addition, SaharaReporters also learnt that Obazee’s committee was pushing to have an interim report submitted to President Tinubu soon so that he would understand how grave and massive corruption at the CBN under Emefiele.

“Obazee’s committee is pushing to have an interim report submitted to Tinubu as a way of letting him understand the gravity of Emefiele’s financial crimes and how bad it set Nigeria’s finances back.

“The committee is asking that they should be allowed to submit an interim report so as to stop any attempt by Emefiele and the Attorney General of the Federation’s office to settle his case on the basis of N50 billion refund plea bargain as earlier exposed by SaharaReporters,” one of the sources said.

In his nationwide broadcast on Sunday morning as part of the programme of events to mark Nigeria’s 63rd Independence anniversary celebration, President Tinubu confirmed that findings on past lapses in the apex bank would soon be out.

In his address, Tinubu said, “I pledged a thorough housecleaning of the den of malfeasance the CBN had become. That housecleaning is well underway.”

“A new leadership for the Central Bank has been constituted. Also, my special investigator will soon present his findings on past lapses and how to prevent similar reoccurrences,” he added.

On Friday, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that Emefiele was set to be released from detention by the Department of State Services (DSS) after his plea bargain with President Tinubu’s administration had been concluded.

However, the AGF and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, on Sunday denied reaching any non-prosecution bargain with Emefiele.

Emefile and some of his associates were expected to be arraigned over N6.9 billion procurement fraud at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in August but the arraignment had stalled.

SaharaReporters had gathered that the non-prosecution plea bargain for Emefiele was being premised upon the former governor’s willingness to return N50 billion which he had corruptly amassed.

It was learnt that Fagbemi had signed the non-prosecution plea bargain and it was waiting for Tinubu’s approval.

(Saharareporter)

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