The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has refuted allegations of misappropriation of funds as detailed in the recent report by the Special Investigator on the CBN and Related Entities. Emefiele clarified his position in a statement released on Sunday titled, ‘Re: Emefiele, others stole billions, illegally kept Nigeria’s funds in foreign banks.’
In the preceding week, the Special Investigator, Jim Obaze, disclosed that Emefiele had placed £543,482,213 in fixed deposits in UK banks without proper authorization during his tenure as the CBN governor. Obaze’s report asserted, “The former governor of CBN, Godwin Emefiele invested Nigeria’s money without authorization in 593 foreign bank accounts in the United States, China, and the United Kingdom, while he was in charge. All the accounts where the billions were lodged have all been traced by the investigator.”
Emefiele, in response, stated in his Sunday release, “After my release on bail from the correctional centre, Kuje, my attention was drawn to publications released by some mainstream and online news platforms. The sources of the information published by both media houses were credited to a certain report prepared by Mr. Jim Obazee, who was appointed by the President as a private investigator. I have gone through the publications, and I say boldly that the contents of the said publications are false, misleading and calculated to disparage my person, injure my character and serve the selfish interest of the private investigator.”
Emefiele revealed that Obazee, along with a Deputy Commissioner of Police from Force CID, had previously questioned him at Kuje regarding the document in question, in the presence of his legal representatives. He asserted, “The final issue that I would like to respond to is the issue of the 593 accounts which were purportedly opened in different parts of the world. I state categorically that I am not involved in the opening of these accounts and I do not know about their openings.”
While emphasizing that the fixed deposits in those foreign accounts were beyond his knowledge, Emefiele affirmed that the relevant departments of the CBN had the authority to carry out such activities within the lawful mandate of the CBN. He expressed support for a thorough and transparent investigation into the alleged fraud, echoing the sentiments of other concerned Nigerians. Emefiele concluded by instructing his legal team to initiate the necessary legal proceedings to clear his name from the defamatory statements contained in the report and subsequent publications.