The Special Investigator on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and related entities, Jim Obazee says Godwin Emefiele, the ex-governor of the Apex bank illegally kept billions of naira in 593 bank accounts in the United States, United Kingdom, and China.
According to him , Emefiele lodged £543, 482,213 in fixed deposits in UK banks alone without the authorisation of the apex bank’s board of directors and the investment committee.
Obazee who made this known while submitting his final report, tagged, ‘Report of the Special Investigation on CBN and Related Entities (Chargeable Offences) to President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, said all the accounts have been traced.
“The former governor of CBN, Godwin Emefiele invested Nigeria’s money without authorization in 593 foreign bank accounts in United States, China and United Kingdom, while he was in charge,”
“All the accounts where the billions were lodged have all been traced by the investigator.”
The special investigator further disclosed that billions of naira were allegedly stolen by Emefiele and other officials from the CBN’s accounts including a “fraudulent cash withdrawal of $6.23 million” — about N2.9 billion at the then official exchange rate of N461 to a dollar.
Obazee also accused Emefiele of manipulating the exchange rate and perpetrating fraud in the e-Naira project of the Apex bank
Meanwhile, Emefiele is currently remanded in the Kuje Correctional centre Abuja after he was arraigned on a six-count charge bordering on procurement fraud valued at N1.2 billion.
The ex CBN governor has yet to meet the N300 million bail granted him by a high court in Abuja since November 22.
