The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, has denied signing any plea bargain agreement with the immediate-past former central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Mr Emefiele, who has been in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) since he was suspended from office in June, is being investigated for his activities during his nine-year reign at the CBN. While in custody, it was announced that he had tendered his resignation.
The federal government has since charged him with N6.9 billion corruption charges at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja.
On two consecutive occasions in August, the court postponed the arraignment of Mr Emefiele and his co-defendant, Sa’adatu Ramallan-Yaro.
The botched arraignment fuelled speculations that Mr Emefiele might have secured a soft landing from the government concerning the charges.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mohammed Abubakar, dispelled the speculation that Mr Emefiele had struck a plea deal with the government.
A plea bargain is a legal process that allows a defendant charged with an offence in court, usually before a trial begins or gets to an advanced stage, to plead guilty to a lesser crime in order to get softer punishment.
In his Saturday statement, Mr Fagbemi described the plea deal report as “false.”
“The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice hereby states clearly that these reports are completely false,” the official said.
The minister, however, recalled Mr Emefiele’s intention for a plea deal through his lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde, during one of the failed arraignment hearings in Abuja.
“It would be noted that the legal team representing Mr Godwin Emefiele had expressed their intention in court at the last hearing to initiate a plea bargain arrangement.
“However, no such arrangement has been reached with Mr Godwin Emefiele or his representatives,” Mr Fagbemi explained.
