The federal government has amended the criminal charge brought against Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The charge, which was previously six counts, has now been increased to twenty counts.
The amended charge encompasses criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to forge, procurement fraud, and conspiracy to commit a felony.
Emefiele was arraigned on November 18. He pleaded not guilty to all six counts.
On November 22, a federal capital territory high court granted Emefiele bail in the amount of N300 million.
The judge also ordered the former Emefiele to produce two sureties in equal sums. The sureties were requested to have certificates of occupancy and property titles in Abuja’s Maitama district.
At the resumption of the trial on Thursday, Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated that an amended charge had been served to the defence team.
Emefiele’s counsel, Mathew Burkaa, responded by saying he would need some time to study the new charge before his client could enter a plea.
The presiding judge, Hamza Mu’azu, adjourned the case until Friday, January 19.
Meanwhile, the court agreed to modify Emefiele’s bail conditions. The conditions had previously limited him to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Oyedepo did not object to the defendant’s request for a variation of the bail terms.
The court granted the former CBN governor’s application to travel within Nigeria. It, however, barred him from leaving the country while the case was pending.
