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Former Nigerian Central Bank Chief Reportedly Pleads Not Guilty to 14 New Charges

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Former Nigerian Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele on Friday pleaded not guilty to 14 new charges of corruption and fraud brought against him by Nigerian prosecutors earlier this week, media reported.
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On Wednesday, Nigerian prosecutors added 14 new criminal charges to six counts of procurement fraud previously filed against Emefiele by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, The Punch newspaper reported.
On Friday, a judge officially read out the amended 20-count charge to the former head of the country's central bank. Emefiele was, in particular, indicted for forgery, criminal breach of trust and receiving $6.2 million in bank funds under false pretenses, the report said.
Emefiele was initially supposed to appear in court in January 2023 for failing to pay a total of $70 million in debt, but he later managed to pay out $17 million of the sum.
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Nevertheless, in June 2023, newly elected Nigerian President Bola Tinubu suspended Godwin as the governor of the country's central bank. Later in the month, Emefiele was arrested on corruption and fraud charges and summoned to a court. A judge granted Emefiele bail after he pleaded not guilty.
The case has been adjourned several times and the number of charges brought against Emefiele has changed. The proceedings for his trial are currently scheduled to begin in February.