Admin l Thursday, March 05, 2020
IKOYI, Lagos, Nigeria – A female banker with First City Monument Bank(FCMB) was on Tuesday convicted by a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi and sentenced to seven years behind bars.
The staff, Mrs. Andrea Chizoba Okpalangwu was sentenced by Justice Ibrahim Nasir Buba for stealing N146, 633 from the bank. Justice Buba also ordered the convict to pay N146. 633 million as restitution to FCMB.
The Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), through its lawyer, Mr. Chukwu Agwu, a Superintendent of Police, had dragged the FCMB banker to court on an amended 4 count charge of conspiracy, forgery and obtaining under false pretence, in a charge marked FHC/L/241c/13.
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The offences the prosecution said are punishable under section 1 and 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act. 2006 and section 2(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 2004,.
According Agwu, the convict while working with FCMB Plc, conspired with a company, Bizmate Nigeria Limited and its staff to defraud her bank of the sum of N146, 633 million. Supol Agwu also told the court that Bizmate Nigeria Limited and the convicted banker conspired with Zulikah Zoni Anwail, Olakunle Wakajaiye, Blessing Gbajide, Alicia Onwukah, Ose Ekiosola. Uche Okolie, Olusegun Oladlmeji, who were said to be at large to commit the offence.
He told the court that Okpalangwu conspired with Bizmate Nigeria Limited and its staff and forged bank Automated Teller Machine (ATM) of another commercial bank, Identity cards, passports, cheque books, which she used to opened bank account number: 0779808013 with FCMB at 3, Adetokumbo Ademola, Victoria Island for Bizmate Nigeria Limited, which was used to fraudulently obtain credit facility valued N146, 633 million.
Agwu told the Court that sometime in November, 2012, FCMB Plc or FCMB Group received a message from a Bank concerning two suspicious transfers on November 14 and 15, 2012, of N7 million and N8 million respectively which were transferred into Bizmate Nigeria Limited from her FCMB account.
FCMB conducted internal investigation into the two suspicious fund transfers and found out that a total sum of N50 million transferred by Revue World Resources Limited has been received by Revue World Resources Ltd from 45 Staff Salary Plus loan accounts of the supposed staff of Bizmate Nigeria Limited.
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Agwu further told the court that investigation showed that the defendant carried out categorization of Bizmate Nigeria Limited, Revue World Resources Limited and the 45 Staff of Bizmate Nigeria Limited and that the categorization documents brought in by the defendant supposedly from Blzmate company showed that the company has a turnover of N900 million in the year 2010 and N1.2 billion in 2011, this he said was the sole reason FCMB granted staff salary plus loan of N146, 533 million to 45 Staff of Bizmate Nigeria Limited.
The prosecutor told the court that It was also discovered that all the 45 telephone numbers listed on the letter headed papers of the Bizmate company were not reachable.
He told the court that the investigation also proved that none of the 45 staff was even present at Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Block 56, Flat II, Abesan LCHE, Ipaja Lagos, of the FCMB branch where the accounts were domiciled. He said that checks at No. 14, Grace Andrew’s Drive, Lekki, Lagos, supposed Branch office of Bizmate Nigeria Limited showed that nobody was there for any business.
He stated further that nearly all account opening documents were presented to FCMB by the defendant and that internal investigation revealed that the accused took over FCMB staff Hadizatu Sule’s marketing calls to the Lekki branch of Bizmate Energy on a few occasion and that Hadizatu Sule met only once with Mr. Idris Wakajaye, at the Lekki branch office of Bizmate Company and that cheque books for the 45 staff account were were collected by the defendant and Hadizatu Sule and handed over to Mr. Wakajaiye at the Lekki office.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Buba held that the prosecution has been able to prove all the ingredients of the charges against the defendant. Justice Buba consequently convicted the former FCMB banker and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment on each of the counts. Justice Buba said the jail terms are to run concurrently.
