Emefiele Trial: EFCC, Defence Disagree Over Forensic Examination Of Evidence

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the ineligible squad of erstwhile Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, connected Tuesday, sought the involution of a Lagos State Special Offences Court implicit disagreement connected the behaviour of forensic introspection of immoderate of the grounds tendered earlier the court.

The proceedings judge, Justice Rahman Oshodi, had connected September 15, 2025, granted support to Emefiele to prosecute forensic experts to analyse WhatsApp conversations and a mobile instrumentality marked “iPhone 2” based connected his application.

However, connected Tuesday, the lawyer for the erstwhile CBN governor, Olalekan Ojo, informed the justice that the forensic examination, which was to beryllium conducted by experts nominated by some the prosecution and defence teams, had failed to proceed owed to disagreements implicit execution modalities.

The EFCC had arraigned Emefiele and 1 Herry Omoile earlier the tribunal connected a 26-count complaint of accepting gratification, accepting gifts done agents, corruption, and fraudulent spot receipt.

He was besides accused of conferring a corrupt vantage connected his associates, contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act of 2000, successful a complaint filed connected April 3, 2024, by the anti-graft agency’s prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).

The defendants pleaded not blameworthy to the charge.

When the lawsuit was called, Ojo claimed that connected September 24 and 25, 2025, the dates fixed for the forensic examination, nary advancement was made contempt the beingness of representatives from some parties and the court’s registrar.

Ojo stated that 1 of the obstacles his squad faced was that the EFCC claimed the instrumentality could not beryllium made disposable to the full team.

The lawyer further explained that connected the 2nd day, adjacent though the Registrar clarified that the bid specifically allowed for the introspection of the telephone and WhatsApp, the EFCC representatives did not contiguous the telephone erstwhile requested by the Apple expert, responding with a “categorical No.”

He, therefore, urged the tribunal to contented a caller directive to guarantee due entree to the telephone and its WhatsApp contents.

In response, the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), alleged that the archetypal forensic introspection carried retired by the defence’s adept was flawed and did not comply with established forensic standards.

Oyedepo claimed that the adept lacked a carnal laboratory and a verifiable office, and that helium conducted parts of the introspection via a unrecorded net connection, thereby risking information compromise.

He stated, “The accusation of their petition is that Exhibit E whitethorn beryllium altered. The information could auto-sync and alteration the integrity of the exhibit.”

The authoritative maintained that the iPhone remains successful formation mode to guarantee that it would not beryllium tampered with.

Oyedepo assured the tribunal of the prosecution’s committedness to transparency, stating, “The prosecution has never, and volition never, forestall the defence from accessing the facility. However, the handling of the grounds indispensable beryllium done properly.”

Justice Oshodi acknowledged their concerns but ruled that they indispensable record written applications to alteration him to find the issues connected their merits.

Also, during the proceedings, an EFCC operative, Alvan Gurumnaan, narrated to the tribunal the details of the Commission’s investigations involving Emefiele and his associates, arsenic good arsenic their findings.

Gurumnaan testified that the EFCC had interviewed assorted individuals, including unit astatine the CBN and Zenith Bank, arsenic good arsenic others, allegedly progressive successful shady currency transactions.

He presented aggregate WhatsApp conversations (Exhibits P1–P27) that outlined serial currency deliveries allegedly made to the defendants.

The witnesser claimed that the grounds showed a accordant travel of ample sums of overseas currency to the defendants, coordinated via WhatsApp and carried retired done intermediaries.

The substance volition continue on Wednesday.