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| Godwin Emefiele |
An FCT High Court has denied the application of Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), seeking permission to travel to the United Kingdom for a medical checkup.
On Tuesday, Justice Hamza Muazu ruled that Emefiele did not provide sufficient evidence to support his request to travel.
Emefiele is currently facing an amended 20-count charge from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) related to procurement fraud during his tenure as CBN governor.
Through his counsel, Hakeem Labi-Lawal, Emefiele had requested the court to release his passport, which was deposited with the court registrar as part of his bail conditions, to enable him to travel overseas for medical reasons.
However, EFCC counsel Mohammed Omeiza opposed the application, arguing that there was no medical report indicating that Emefiele had any ailment that necessitated the travel. He also claimed that Emefiele posed a flight risk due to his connections with co-conspirators abroad and his ongoing trials in three different courts.
In his ruling, Justice Muazu noted that Emefiele failed to provide any invitation from the UK for a medical checkup between July 28 and September 10. The judge also stated that Emefiele could not prove that his ailment could not be treated in Nigeria.
Although the court has the discretion to grant such requests, Justice Muazu highlighted the difficulty in doing so given that Emefiele is standing trial in three different courts in FCT and Lagos for various charges.
