Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed September 12 to hear applications filed by Godwin Emefiele, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), regarding the forfeiture of monies and properties linked to him.
Gatekeepers News reports that on August 15, Justice Akintayo Aluko issued an interim order of forfeiture against Emefiele following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC alleged that the forfeited assets were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The court had directed the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper, allowing anyone interested in the properties to appear before the court and show cause within 14 days.
At the resumed session on Thursday, counsel to the EFCC, Bilikisu Buhari-Bala, informed the court that the commission had complied with the ruling and filed an affidavit showing that the order was published on August 28, 2024.
Emefiele’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo, stated that the applications filed were seeking to stay further proceedings in the forfeiture suit.
“The law allows such an application to take precedence over the substantive application,” he said.
After listening to all counsel, Justice Deinde Dipeolu adjourned the matter to September 12 for hearing of all applications.
