A prosecution witness, Dr Ali Mohammed, has told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, that former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, was not a signatory to the Federal Government’s Consolidated Revenue Account from which N124.86 billion was withdrawn.
Mohammed, a Director in the Home Finance Department of the Federal Ministry of Finance, made the disclosure on Wednesday while being cross-examined by Emefiele’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, in the ongoing trial of the former CBN governor.
The witness also told the court that neither the Minister of Finance nor the Accountant-General of the Federation queried the CBN over the withdrawal.
Emefiele is standing trial on a four-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), bordering on alleged disobedience to the direction of law and illegal acts causing injury to the public.
The former CBN governor pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to the EFCC, Emefiele allegedly violated Section 19 of the CBN Act between October 19, 2022 and March 5, 2023, by approving the printing of 375.52 million colour-swapped N1,000 notes at a cost of N11.05 billion without the recommendation of the CBN Board and the required approval of the President.
However, the testimony of Mohammed centred largely on the separate N124.86 billion withdrawal from the Consolidated Revenue Account.
The witness said the money could neither be traced to Emefiele’s personal account nor was the former CBN governor a signatory to the Federal Government account.
He further told the court that he was unaware of the public transactions that led to the withdrawal and did not know that the money was allegedly connected to subsidy for the Hajj pilgrimage.
“I was invited by EFCC in respect of the withdrawal of the N124.86 billion, but was neither interrogated on the circumstances that led to the withdrawal nor made any statement in respect of the same during my visit to the commission,” Mohammed said.
He added that EFCC operatives did not show him any document linking Emefiele to the withdrawal.
The witness said three letters exchanged between the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation did not identify Emefiele as a signatory to the Consolidated Revenue Account or indicate that he authorised the debit.
He also stated that the Ministry of Finance did not write to the CBN under Emefiele requesting the withdrawal, despite advice from the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Mohammed explained that his involvement began after he received a letter from a special investigator appointed by President Bola Tinubu to probe the affairs of the CBN under Emefiele, including the disputed withdrawal.
He said he subsequently convened an emergency meeting with the heads of three divisions under the Home Finance Unit of the ministry. According to him, the officials denied having any knowledge of the transaction.
Following their denial, Mohammed said he wrote to the Accountant-General of the Federation through the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, seeking clarification on the alleged withdrawal.
The Office of the Accountant-General, he said, also denied knowledge of the transaction and concluded that the withdrawal must have been carried out by the CBN.
He said the findings were subsequently communicated to the special investigator.
The witness tendered correspondence from the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation before the court. The documents were admitted as exhibits without objection from Emefiele’s counsel.
Mohammed also told the court that the Ministry of Finance took no further action regarding the withdrawn funds apart from informing the special investigator that it had no knowledge of the transaction.
He said he had no personal interaction with the special investigator and was also unaware of whether former President Muhammadu Buhari obtained approval from the National Assembly for the use of Ways and Means financing between 2016 and 2023.
Following the completion of the cross-examination, prosecution counsel, Abbas Mohammed, asked the court to discharge the witness and adjourn the proceedings.
Justice Maryanne Anenih subsequently adjourned the case until November 26 for continuation of trial.
