The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, alongside the bank’s Director of Legal Services, Salam-Alada Kofo, have been sued for contempt of court at the Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged refusal to comply fully with a Supreme Court judgment.
Melrose General Services Limited, the applicant, filed the contempt suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/532/2025 listing Cardoso, Kofo, the CBN, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of Economy, Wale Edun, as respondents.
The applicant claims that the respondents failed to release its N220 million, despite the Supreme Court’s judgment reversing the earlier forfeiture of the funds.
According to reports, the suit stems from the controversial Paris Club refund, which involved payments to consultants who rendered services to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum.
In June 2024, the Supreme Court overturned a previous forfeiture order affecting Melrose General Services Limited, directing the release of frozen funds, including N1.22 billion held in Melrose’s bank account and N220 million transferred to Wasp Networks and Thebe Wellness as loans and investments.
The court ruled that the EFCC failed to prove the funds were proceeds of fraud as alleged, and ordered the release of the full amounts to the rightful owners.
However, nearly a year after the Supreme Court’s decision, Melrose alleged that while the CBN had refunded N1.22 billion, the N220 million remained unpaid.
Through its counsel, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN, Melrose argued that the refusal to comply with the court’s directive constituted contempt of court.
The firm contends that the partial compliance undermines the authority of the Supreme Court.
In its defence, the CBN’s legal team, led by Abdulfatai Oyedele, claimed that the Supreme Court directed payment of the N220m to the original accounts of Wasp Network Limited and Thebe Wellness Services, not to Melrose.
Oyedele further argued that Wasp Network had requested N200m, while Thebe Wellness was yet to claim N20 million.
Meanwhile, the EFCC, represented by M.A. Babatunde, filed a motion for misjoinder, asserting it should not be a party to the case.
Justice Inyang Ekwo has scheduled a further hearing on the matter for June 4, 2025, as the legal battle over the long-contested funds continues.
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