The suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, faced a setback in his ongoing legal battle as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court dismissed his application to travel to the UK for medical treatment.
The court ruling came on Tuesday in response to Emefiele’s plea to leave the country for medical reasons, amidst the charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Emefiele, who stands accused of criminal breach of trust, forgery, and obtaining money by false pretense during his tenure as the CBN governor, sought the court’s permission to travel to the UK for medical treatment.
However, Justice Hamza Muazu dismissed the application, emphasizing the lack of concrete evidence such as a medical appointment or invitation to justify Emefiele’s need for international medical care.
In his ruling, Justice Muazu highlighted Emefiele’s standing trial in three courts, two in the FCT and one in Lagos, underscoring the gravity of the charges against him.
Despite the defendant’s legal team’s argument for the release of Emefiele’s passport to facilitate the medical trip, the prosecution contended that there was no substantial medical report proving that the CBN ex-governor required treatment abroad.
The prosecution further raised concerns about Emefiele’s potential flight risk due to his alleged connections with co-conspirators abroad and ongoing trials in multiple courts, refuting the defense’s claims as speculative.
Consequently, the court’s decision to deny Emefiele’s request for medical travel underscored the prosecution’s stance on the matter.
The dismissal of Emefiele’s application to travel for medical treatment intensifies the legal saga surrounding the former CBN governor, amplifying the gravity of the allegations against him and signaling the stringent legal scrutiny he faces in the ongoing trials.
