Bank Chief Charged With Fraud

State Criminal Investigation Department of the Nigeria Police, Panti, Yaba, Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, has filed a four-count criminal charge of conspiracy and stealing against a manager of Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Tosin Lawal and her husband, Michael.

In the said charge number FHC/L/342C/11 filed before a Federal High Court in Lagos, the police prosecuting officer, Nosa Ununnogho, alleged that Tosin and Michael Lawal, between 22 April and 6 September, 2011 at Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Allen Avenue, Ikeja branch, did conspire to commit felony to wit stealing and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, law of the Federation 2004.

The prosecutor alleged further that the accused, being a customer services manager of the bank, same time and place, with the intention to defraud, knowingly made fraudulent account concerning transactions in various customers’ accounts under her control, thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 438 of the Criminal Code laws of the Federation.

It was also alleged in the third count of the charge that the accused persons, same time and place, with intention to defraud, obtained N209,674,267, property of Ecobank Nigeria Plc under the pretext that the amount was being posted to their lawful owners’ accounts, a representation they knew to be false, thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 419 of the Criminal Code.

In the fourth count, the accused were alleged to have stolen N209,674,267, property of Ecobank of Nigeria Plc, thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 390 of the Criminal Code.

The accused persons were initially arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court but chose to be tried by a High Court, hence the new charge was filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The arraignment was, however, stalled last week as the first accused, Tosin Lawal, currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since 30 September, was not produced.

The presiding judge, Justice Okechukwu Okeke, adjourned for a new date to be fixed for the arraignment of the accused persons.