Stolen Funds: Former CBN Governor debunks allegations

A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, has faulted allegations of stolen funds against him in the recently released report of the Special Investigator on the CBN and Related Entities.

He explained his stance in a statement titled, ‘Re: Emefiele, others stole billions, illegally kept Nigeria’s funds in foreign banks’.

Last week, the Special Investigator on the CBN and Related Entities, Jim Obaze, disclosed that the ex-CBN governor lodged £543, 482,213 in fixed deposits in UK banks alone without authorisation.

Obaze’s report partly reads: “The former governor of CBN, Godwin Emefiele invested Nigeria’s money without authorisation 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,” it added.

However, Emefiele debunked the report’s findings in a statement released after he left the Kuje Prison facility on bail.

Emefiele said; “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 a Mr. Jim Obaze, 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.”

First, he added, “It was reported that contrary to the provision of the CBN Act 2007, there was no presidential approval for the naira redesign.

“I wish to state unequivocally that there was indeed a presidential approval, and the said approval was handed over to the same Jim Obazee during the process of his investigation in the presence of senior CBN officials and his own investigative team.

“The report also claimed that the sum of $6.23m was withdrawn from the CBN vault based on a false presidential directive bearing the signature of the former president Muhammadu Buhari, and that of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha.

However, Emefiele noted that about two weeks ago, Obaze in the company of a Deputy Commissioner of Police from Force CID, came to the Kuje Prison facility to ask him questions in respect of the said document in the presence of his lawyers, where he stated “verbally and in writing that I have no knowledge of such directive from the former president and the former SGF.

“In fact, I told them that that was the first time I would be seeing the documents. On this, I challenge Jim Obazee to publish the said documents and also the statements that I made to them.”

On thw 593 accounts abroad, the former CBN governor said, “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.

“The fixed deposits in those foreign accounts are definitely outside my knowledge. However, let me state clearly, that the relevant departments of the CBN have the authority to carry out such activities in line with their lawful mandate within the CBN,” he added.

Punch/Hauwa Abu