N30 m fraud: FCMB moves to settle customer
(Nigeria) The Special Fraud Unit, SFU, on Thursday, asked a
Federal High Court, Lagos, to adjourn a N30 million fraud suit against First
City Monument Bank Plc, FCMB.
The adjournment according to the police was at the instance
of the bank.
FCMB was charged alongside a former manager of its Oke Arin
branch, Rosemary Usifo, on a one-count charge of fraud.
On January 30, the Prosecutor, Mr Effiong Asuquo, informed
the court that the bank had urged the police to seek an adjournment to enable
them repay the money to the victim of the crime.
He said that after a meeting with the bank, it indicated its
intention to repay the money obtained by the second accused (Usifo), from the
account of one Archibong Nkana, a Deputy Inspector General of Police (rtd).
According to the prosecutor, the bank said that its moves
are aimed at having the name of FCMB struck out from the charge.
Asuquo told the court that he was instructed to seek for an
adjournment, to afford the bank time to regularise its position on the matter.
He, however, added that the SFU would proceed with the
prosecution of the case, if the bank reneged on its promise.
Justice Saliu Saidu, adjourned the case to March 3, for
trial, while the accused would remain in the Kirikiri prisons.
It will be recalled that the accused was arraigned on December
5, 2013, for fraudulently obtaining N30 million from a fixed deposit account,
belonging to Nkana, a customer.
She had pleaded not guilty to the charge and the judge
ordered her be remanded in prison, pending determination of her bail
application.
In the charge, the accused was said to have committed the
offence in 2011 after forging a letter with which she withdrew the money the
customer's bank account.
According to Asuquo, the accused had been at large since
then and was only arrested by the Police in November 2013.
He said that the offence contravenes the provisions of
Sections 1(2) (a), (c), and Sections 3 (1) (2) of the Miscellaneous Offences
Act, Cap. M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
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