Court overrules Emefiele's objection and admits Supreme Court judgment in $4.5bn fraud trial — case adjourned to 17 December

The judge let the Supreme Court judgment in — but only to show what it decided. The defence lost the admissibility fight, but won a limit on how the document can be used.

EFCC investigator Alvan Gurumnaan, the eighth prosecution witness and leader of the investigative team, told the Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Thursday, 12 November, how former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele allegedly used associates — including a lawyer — to acquire multi-billion-naira properties far beyond his legitimate earnings while in office, including a 700-duplex estate in Abuja and mansions in Ikoyi, Lagos, plus properties in Delta and Ogun.

Gurumnaan also testified that the EFCC recovered more than $2 million in cash from the office of a lawyer, Ifeanyi Omeke, who allegedly admitted acting as a front for Emefiele, and alleged Emefiele used his CBN office to restrict forex access and receive payments.

Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja, ruled on Friday, 13 November, overruling the defence's objection and admitting a certified true copy of a Supreme Court judgment concerning properties forfeited to the Federal Government in the ongoing $4.5 billion and ₦2.8 billion fraud trial of former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele.

The judge held that a certified true copy of a Supreme Court judgment is admissible as a public document under the Evidence Act, and that tendering only the lead judgment did not render it incomplete — rejecting the defence's argument that the document should be excluded. But he restricted its use: the judgment is admissible only to establish what the Supreme Court decided in the earlier proceedings, and cannot be used as evidence for or against any party in the ongoing criminal trial.

The ruling followed the prosecution's application, led by Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, to tender the document through EFCC investigator Alvan Gurumnaan (PW8). Justice Oshodi adjourned the case until 17 December 2026 for continuation of Gurumnaan's cross-examination. Emefiele and co-defendant Henry Omoile face a 19-count charge of alleged gratification, corrupt demands and abuse of office; all allegations remain subject to determination by the court.

Update, 13 Nov 2026 (evening): the court overruled the defence's objection and admitted the Supreme Court judgment, but limited its use to showing what the court decided — it cannot be used as evidence for or against any party. The trial resumes on 17 December. Every allegation remains testimony, not a finding.

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