The expected Wednesday arraignment of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, over an alleged procurement fraud to the tune of N6.9 billion, has again been stalled.
The matter was not listed on the cause list of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja on Wednesday with no reason given as lawyers to both parties were absent in court.
It will be recalled that Emefiele’s arraignment was equally stalled on August 17, following the absence of the 2nd defendant, Mrs. Yaro, who is a staff of the apex bank.
He said the new trial date may likely be issued by the Chief Judge of the high court, Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf.
A plea bargain is a negotiated term of settlement in criminal trials that allows a defendant to plead guilty to a lesser offence or reduced charge, in exchange for a reduction in sentence or dismissal of the charges.
The terms of agreement between the prosecution and the defendant are subsequently accepted by the trial court which adopts same as its judgement in the matter.
Meantime, in a related development, Justice E Okpe of the FCT high court, on Tuesday, struck out two separate cases that Emefiele’s siblings,
George and Okanta filed against the Department of State Services, DSS.
The duo had approached the court for an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the security agency from inviting, intimidating, harassing, arresting or detaining them in relation to the case against their brother.
The Emefiele siblings took the AGF and the DSS to court over the Infringement on their fundamental human rights on account of issues surrounding the embattled suspended CBN governor.
In his ruling, Justice Okpe dismissed the case, though he declined to award cost against the vacation judge, dismissed the cases and ordered no cost should be paid by the Applicants.
