Emefiele is facing 20 counts of conspiracy and procurement fraud levelled against him by the Nigerian government. He was on August 17, 2023, brought to court under tight security.
The trial of the embattled former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele was on Wednesday stalled at the High Court of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) following the plan by Emefiele to enter into plea bargaining to get soft-landing.
Emefiele is facing 20 counts of conspiracy and procurement fraud levelled against him by the Nigerian government. He was on August 17, 2023, brought to court under tight security.
He was scheduled to be arraigned today (Wednesday) and take his plea before the presiding judge, Justice Hamza Muazu, but the case was not listed in the cause list.
No official reason was given by the court or the lawyers but findings by SaharaReporters revealed that Emefiele has agreed to enter into plea bargaining with the prosecution in line with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
SaharaReporters learnt from lawyers involved in the case that Emefiele opted to enter into plea bargaining with the prosecution team.
"The matter is not coming up; they are finding another way to resolve the matter and give him soft-landing," one of the lawyers said.
"They are moving to negotiate plea bargaining."
Anxious journalists who were in court to cover the case were disappointed to find out the suspended CBN governor would not appear.
Efforts to get official confirmation from the court officials and his lawyers were unsuccessful as they declined to comment on the matter.