Court Summons Emefiele Over $53m Paris Club Debt

The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele has been summoned before a Federal High Court in Abuja. Emefiele was summoned over a $53 million judgment debt arising from the Paris Club refund, according to Punch.

 In an application for garnishee made on October 20, 2022, Justice Inyang Ekwo, ordered Emefiele to appear on Wednesday, January 18 as the hearing date for the matter. Prior, on January 23, 2020, the court 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 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. 

 The applicants were seeking an order directing the Inspector General of Police to arrest Emefiele and bring him to court alongside his lawyers – Damian Dodo, Audu Anuga, all Senior Advocates of Nigeria, and Ginika Ezeoke, Jessica Iyoke, Abdullahi Afolayan and Olayemi Afolayan. 

 The suit stemmed from an alleged $70 million judgment against Linas over the lawyer’s services in the Paris Club refund. 

 The CBN governor was said to have left an outstanding amount of $53 million having only released $17 million.