Court summons Emefiele over $53m judgement debt

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has summoned the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, to appear on Wednesday following an arrest request arising from a $53 million judgement on the Paris Club refund saga.

Justice Inyang Ekwo made the summon in an application for garnishee on October 20, 2022.

The presiding judge ordered Emefiele to appear on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, as the hearing date for the matter.

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The order followed the application by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joe Agi, against Linas International Ltd, the Minister of Finance, and the CBN through his lawyers, Isaac Ekpa and Chinonso Obasi, seeking an order directing the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to arrest Emefiele and bring him to court alongside his lawyers, Damian Dodo, SAN, Audu Anuga, SAN, Ginika Ezeoke, Jessica Iyoke, Abdullahi Afolayan, and Olayemi Afolayan.

The suit arose over an alleged $70 million judgement against Linas over the lawyer’s services in the Paris Club refund, which Emefiele was said to have released only $17 million, leaving an outstanding $53 million.

The court, on January 23, 2020, ruled that Emefiele must appear “to be examined on oath touching the means you have or have had, since the date of the said garnishee order absolute, to pay the balance of $53 million now due and payable under the said garnishee order absolute and also show cause why you should not be committed to prison for default in payment of the said sum.”

The Star