Alleged Money Laundering: Emefiele awarded multi-million naira contracts to wife’s company, EFCC witness tells court
At the Maitama Division of the FCT High Court on Monday, an EFCC witness testified that former CBN governor Godwin Emefiele awarded contracts worth hundreds of millions of naira to Archtekon Nigeria Limited, a company, where his wife, Margaret Omoyile, is listed as a director.
The witness, Michael Agboro, an investigator from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), disclosed that the findings of his investigations showed that Mr Emefiele had conferred a corrupt and unfair advantage on Architekon Nigeria Limited and April 1616, as other qualified companies did not enjoy the patronage of the CBN. Saadaru Yaro, a CBN staff member also under EFCC investigation, is listed as a director of April 1616 Investment Limited.
Mr Agboro said it took a while to uncover the connection between Architekan Ltd and Mr Emefiele’s wife, “who is using a name that if you did not dig, you would not know it is his wife.”
The investigator wondered why Mr Emefiele’s wife still used her maiden name and had not publicly taken her husband’s last name.
But Matthew Burkaa, who represented the former CBN governor, disregarded the statement as irrelevant to the matter at hand.
Mr Agboro said it was discovered that Architekan Ltd got nearly a N100 million contract to renovate the “external landscaping” of the Ikoyi, Lagos, residence of the CBN governor in 2020.
According to EFCC’s counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, over N97 million was paid for a furniture contract to Architekon Ltd, where Mr Emefiele’s wife, Margaret and her brother-in-law Jonathan Omo-ile were listed as directors.
Architekan Ltd further bagged a N58 million contract to power Mr Emefiele’s Ikoyi residence.
Mr Burkaa countered his claims and asked if the witness bothered to find out if the projects were even carried out during the investigation.
Mr Agboro responded in the negative.
Mr Emefiele’s lawyer found it suspicious that the EFCC did not bring to court the findings of the investigation report and that investigators did not bother to find out whether or not the awarded contracts were executed.
Justice Hamza Muazu asked both opposing parties to reconvene on April 25 and 26 for further hearing.
EFCC had, in February, declared Mr Emefiele’s wife and others wanted for allegedly conspiring with the former CBN governor to embezzle huge sums of money from the Nigerian treasury.
According to a notice signed by the agency’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, their alleged crimes of obtaining money by false pretences and stealing contravened sections 411, 287 and 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.
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