Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has refuted allegations of stolen funds leveled against him in a report by the Special Investigator on the CBN and Related Entities, Jim Obaze. The report claimed that Emefiele invested Nigeria’s money without authorization in 593 foreign bank accounts in the United States, China, and the United Kingdom, amounting to billions of Naira.
In a statement titled “Re: Emefiele, others stole billions, illegally kept Nigeria’s funds in foreign banks,” Emefiele described the contents of the report as false, misleading, and intended to disparage his character. The former CBN governor revealed that he had been advised by his lawyers not to comment on matters before the court but addressed specific issues raised in the report.
Emefiele contested the claim that there was no presidential approval for the naira redesign, stating that there was indeed approval handed over to Jim Obazee during the investigation. He emphasized that former President Muhammadu Buhari had openly confirmed authorizing and approving the naira redesign.
Regarding the allegation of a false presidential directive for the withdrawal of $6.23 million from the CBN vault, Emefiele challenged Obazee to publish the documents and statements made during the investigation. He asserted that he had no knowledge of such a directive and questioned the authenticity of the documents.
On the issue of 593 accounts purportedly opened in different parts of the world, Emefiele denied involvement in their opening and emphasized that the relevant departments of the CBN have the authority to carry out such activities within their lawful mandate.
Concluding his statement, Emefiele announced that he had instructed his lawyers to commence legal proceedings to clear his name from the defamatory statements in the report and subsequent publications.
