Claims of Buhari approving $6.2m in Central Bank of Nigeria fraud case refuted

The denial came in response to allegations made by former Central Bank governor Godwin Emefiele who claimed that former President Muhammadu Buhari approved $6.23 million for election observers during the last general elections.

Emefiele, who is currently facing trial for fraud had alleged that the former president directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to pay $6.23 million in cash to international election observers during the 2023 general election, the Punch NG reports.

However, in a statement released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mustapha categorically denied the claims put forward by Emefiele. The former government secretary, who served for five years and seven months, asserted in the High Court in Abuja that he had never encountered any document indicating approval for such a fund during his tenure.

“My Lord, all through my years in service in my capacity, I never came across such a document. Having served for five years and seven months, I can say this document did not emanate from the office of the president," he told the court.

Mustapha, in further remarks, criticized the correspondence presented by Emefiele, emphasizing that if a document bears the President's seal, there is no necessity for a reference number, as the seal itself serves as the ultimate authority.

“I have looked at it and read it, and the Federal Executive Council’s decisions are not transmitted by letters but through extracts after conclusions were adopted. My  Lord,  I am a custodian of all records; therefore, the President cannot give me the records, and in all my years in service, I have never heard the term 'Special Appropriation Provision’ that is referred to here. In all the correspondence I have received from my principal, it has never ended with ‘please accept the assurance of my highest regard'.  I am his subordinate, so nothing of such would emanate. And lastly, my Lord, the Nigerian government has nothing to do with financing foreign observers. I know for a fact that I managed two elections, so the responsibility for such lies with INEC," he said.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned the former Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, on amended charges, totalling 20 counts. The charges include forgery, criminal conspiracy, conferring undue advantage, and breach of trust, among others. In the specific allegations put forward by the EFCC, Emefiele is accused of impersonating the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to unlawfully obtain $6.2 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).