Exclusive: How Emefiele illegally opened 593 bank accounts in China, US, UK

Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, illegally deposited billions of naira in 593 bank accounts in the United States, the United Kingdom, and China.

Jim Obaze, Special Investigator to President Bola Tinubu, revealed that Emefiele opened the bank accounts without the consent of CBN’s Board of Directors and Investment Committee.

According to Obaze, Emefiele deposited 543,482,213 in fixed deposits in UK banks without authorization.

Obaze’s final report, titled ‘Report of the Special Investigation on CBN and Related Entities (Chargeable Offenses),’ was submitted to Tinubu.

The report reads partly:

“The former governor of the CBN invested Nigeria’s money without authorisation in 593 foreign accounts in the United States, China and the United Kingdom while he was in charge.

“All the accounts where the billions were lodged have all been traced by the investigator, In the UK alone, Emefiele kept £543,482, 213 in fixed deposits without authorization by the CBN board and the Investment Committee of the bank.”

The former CBN governor is currently in Kuje prison after he was arraigned by the Nigerian Government for alleged N1.2 billion procurement fraud.

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, had granted him bail in the sum of N300m but he had failed to perfect it.