An Ikeja Special Offences Court has admitted into evidence extra-judicial statements made by former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, in his ongoing trial over alleged abuse of office.
Justice Rahman Oshodi admitted the statements as exhibits, marking them as Exhibit K31, and ordered that the substantive trial should continue without further delay.
The case was subsequently adjourned until October 6 for the continuation of proceedings.
Emefiele is standing trial on a 19-count charge bordering on alleged gratification, corrupt demands and abuse of office involving transactions valued at 4.5 billion dollars and N2.8 billion.
His co-defendant, Henry Omoile, is facing a separate three-count charge for allegedly accepting unlawful gifts.
The court had earlier fixed July 9 to determine the admissibility of the statements after Emefiele’s lead counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), challenged their validity.
The defence argued that the statements were not made voluntarily, alleging they were obtained through physical and psychological oppression during Emefiele’s detention.
According to Ojo, the former CBN governor was held by the Department of State Services (DSS) for more than 157 days, contrary to due process. He relied on provisions of the Anti-Torture Act, 2017, and the Evidence Act to support his objection.
He further argued that the absence of video recordings of the interrogation sessions undermined the credibility of the statements and questioned the role played by the lawyer who witnessed the interviews.
However, the prosecution opposed the objection, insisting that the statements were lawfully obtained.
Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), called an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigator, Alvan Gurumnaan, who testified that Emefiele honoured the EFCC’s invitation and was questioned in the presence of his legal representative.
The prosecution maintained that the statements were not confessional in nature and argued that there was no legal basis for conducting a trial-within-trial to determine their admissibility.
In his ruling, Justice Oshodi admitted the statements into evidence, paving the way for the continuation of the substantive hearing. The case was thereafter adjourned to October 6.
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