The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has refuted recent reports suggesting that he signed a non-prosecution plea bargain with the former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Emefiele and his associates were scheduled for arraignment over N6.9bn procurement fraud in August at the Federal Capital Territory High Court.
However, the case has faced delays, sparking speculation about a possible plea bargain.
A recent report claimed that Emefiele and the Federal Government, represented by the AGF, had signed such an agreement, pending President Bola Tinubu’s signature to complete the process.
However, the Ministry of Justice spokesperson, Modupe Ogundoro, released a statement on Sunday stating that the AGF has denied the existence of any such agreement between his office and the former CBN governor.
The statement read, “The attention of the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has been drawn to reports alleging that the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and the Federal Government of Nigeria, have agreed to a non-prosecution plea bargain arrangement.
“The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice hereby state clearly that these reports are completely false.
“It would be noted that the legal team representing Godwin Emefiele had expressed its 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.
“We wish to advise the media and members of the public to kindly disregard the said false report. The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice will continue to take all actions in the interest of the Nigerian public.”
