Emefiele Disputes Investigator’s Allegations, Initiates Legal Action

• Godwin Emefiele vehemently rejects accusations of opening unauthorized foreign accounts, labels the report as satanic and defamatory, plans legal action
• Emefiele challenges investigator’s claims on naira redesign approval, withdrawal directive, and foreign accounts, calls for a transparent investigation

Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), vehemently rejected the findings of Special Investigator Jim Obazee, appointed by President Bola Tinubu. Emefiele labelled the report as satanic, baseless, and defamatory, denying the accusation of opening 593 foreign bank accounts without proper approvals.

In a statement released on Sunday, Emefiele announced his decision to take legal action against the defamatory statements. Maxwell Okpara, one of Emefiele’s lawyers, confirmed the statement’s authenticity.

The investigator’s report alleged that Emefiele opened 593 foreign accounts without authorization, holding substantial funds in various banks globally. The report also claimed that the recent naira redesign lacked express approval from former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Responding to the allegations, Emefiele refuted the claims, asserting that he provided Buhari’s approval to Obazee during the investigation alongside senior CBN officials. He emphasized the presidential endorsement for the naira redesign and challenged the investigator to produce any documents suggesting otherwise.

Regarding the withdrawal of 6.23 million dollars based on a false presidential directive, Emefiele stated that he had no knowledge of such a directive and challenged the investigator to publish the documents and statements made during their interaction.

Addressing the issue of the 593 foreign accounts, Emefiele distanced himself, asserting that he was not involved in their opening and lacked knowledge of their existence. He acknowledged the authority of relevant CBN departments to carry out such activities within their lawful mandate.

Emefiele concluded by joining calls for a thorough and transparent investigation into the alleged frauds. He confirmed instructing his lawyers to initiate legal proceedings to clear his name from the defamatory statements and publications.