Emefiele: Buhari Approved Local Production of New Naira Notes, Witness Tells Court

Alex Enumah in Abuja

A prosecution witness, Mr Chinedu Emere Eneanya, has confirmed that former President Muhammadu Buhari, gave his approval for the local production of the redesigned naira notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2022.

Eneanya, who is an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), made the confirmation on Wednesday before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Maitama, Abuja, where the former governor of the CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele is been prosecuted over alleged illegalities in respect of the redesigned naira notes.

Meanwhile, the witness also confirmed before the court that he was not aware if members of the public wrote any petition to the EFCC complaining against the redesigning of the naira.

Emefiele is standing trial before Justice Maryanne Anenih, of the High Court of the FCT, on a four-count charge bordering on disobedience to the direction of law and illegal act causing injury to the public.

The anti-graft agency in the charged marked:  FCT/HC/ CR/264/2024, alleged that Emefiele between October 19, 2022 and March 5, 2023 disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of CBN Act by approving the printing of 375,520,000 pieces of colour swapped N1,000 notes at a total cost of N11,052,068,062 without the recommendation of the CBN Board  and strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, which caused injury to the public.

The commission claimed that the offences allegedly committed by the former CBN governor violated Section 123 of the Penal Code, Cap 89 Laws of the Federation, 1990 and punishable under the same law.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was admitted to bail to enable him adequately defend the charge against him.

At Wednesday’s proceedings, which was the continuation of cross examination, Eneanya, who is the seventh prosecution witness (PW7), observed that Exhibit N1 earlier tendered by the prosecution through him was the extrajudicial statement of the Managing Director, Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), Ahmed Halilu.

He disclosed that Halilu was invited by EFCC investigating team that investigated the naira redesign to shed more light on the redesign, which was the subject of the charge before the court.

According to him, Halilu stated that the NSPMC commenced and eventually produced the redesigned naira notes locally as directed by the late President Buhari.

Asked if in the course investigation the EFCC team found out any documents or statements that was contrary to what Halilu told EFCC, Eneanya said there was nothing contrary to what the team was told by the Halilu as contained in Exhibit N1.

He further informed the court that CBN paid NSPMC for the production of the redesigned naira notes.

On whether Emefiele disobeyed presidential directive, since the notes were produced locally, the witness told the court that the defendant disobeyed the CBN Act.

He said, “Investigation conducted by the team showed that the defendant disobeyed the provisions of the Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007 that stated that the CBN must have board recommendation to the president before currency must be redesigned”.

The witness added that what was produced was not the samples of the N200, N500 and N1,000 notes shown the then president. “The defendant in his 11-paged memorandum to the president attached three samples or sketches of the notes of N200, N500 and N1,000 to be changed and the president approved the design and directed that it should be produced locally.

“Investigation showed that what was eventually produced as N1,000, N500 and N200 was not what was showed to the president for approval”, he claimed.

The witness in addition stated that the old naira notes that were redesigned were designed by De La Rue of the United Kingdom.

He further confirmed to the court that Halilu did not state in his extrajudicial statements as contained in Exhibits N1 and N2 that NSPMC was the company that designed the Nigerian currency notes which were later redesigned.

When asked if his investigating team obtained statements from the secretaries of CBN’s committee of governors and the apex bank’s board of directors, the witness informed the court that the team did.

He added that he was not aware if EFCC received petitions from members of the public on the naira redesigned and insisted that he was not in a position to know that, adding that no petition was forwarded to his team by the anti-corruption commission.

“I don’t receive petitions and I am not in a position to know if the commission received any petitions. No petition was forwarded to my team by the commission,” the witness said.

Meanwhile, the case has been adjourned to May 11, for continuation of trial.