CBN Procurement Followed Due Process, Witness Testifies in Emefiele’s Trial
A key prosecution witness in the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has testified that the contracts for vehicle purchases under his administration followed due process.
The witness, Salawu Gana, a former official in the CBN Procurement Department, made this revelation while testifying as the 10th prosecution witness in the case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Emefiele.
Emefiele faces a 20-count amended charge, including allegations of criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to obtain by false pretense, and using his office to confer corrupt advantage on companies—April 1616 Nigeria Limited and Architekon Nigeria Limited.
During cross-examination by Emefiele’s lawyer, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), Gana stated that April 1616 Nigeria Limited was awarded contracts after undergoing the required bidding and evaluation processes.
“The reason for awarding the contracts (45 in total) to April 1616 was because its bid was the lowest,” Gana testified.
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Reviewing contract documents marked F1 to F45, the witness confirmed that there was no instruction to favor April 1616 in the contract awards. He also noted that while Emefiele approved the contracts, his signature came last, following endorsements from at least four other CBN officials.
As the trial continues, Gana’s testimony raises further questions about the extent of Emefiele’s involvement in procurement decisions and whether due process was indeed followed in the controversial contracts.
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