Union Bank And 5 Others Docked For Stealing
The Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, on Monday arraigned Union Bank Nigeria Plc and five others before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Nigeria, for allegedly stealing an Oceanic Bank Plc. and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc cheques valued at about N18 million which were issued to it by a construction company, Arab Contractors.
The other five accused persons are Tiemo Miebi, Gilbert Swalla, Pius Oddiri, Olufemi Oyekan and Bridget Nweze.
The court presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, however, granted the application of the counsel to the accused persons that their clients be allowed to continue to enjoy the bail which the court granted to them on the undertaking of their lawyers on the promise that they would be available to face their trial pending when their formal applications for bail will be heard by the court on 23 February.
Attempts by the prosecutor, Mr. James Binang, an Assistant Director in FIRS, to have the court remand the accused persons in prison was frustrated by the defence counsel who insisted that their formal applications for bail had been filed before the court but they could not be heard as the proposed arraignment of the accused persons had been delayed following the absence of any representative from Union Bank of Nigeria Plc.
They contended that the bail granted to the accused persons on the strength of the undertakings by their counsel should be allowed to continue pending the hearing of the pending bail applications.
They told the court that in spite of the fact that they had all served the prosecution counsel with copies of their application for bail, that they were just served with a counter-affidavit opposing their applications in court during the day’s proceedings and urged the court to give them time to respond to the fresh issues raised by the prosecution.
This argument persuaded the court to grant their request for the bail to continue to run till the next adjourned date.Some of the charge against the accused persons read in part:That you Union Bank Nigeria Plc., Tiemo Miebi, Chief Gilbert Swallah, Pius Oddiri, Olufemi Oyekan and Mrs Bridget Nweze and Monday Adeaya [now at large] sometime in March 2010 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court agreed among yourselves to commit an offence to wit, stealing of an Oceanic Bank Plc cheque no 00001299 dated March 13th 2010 valued at N8,913,071.32 which cheque was issued by Arab Contractors O.A.O. Nigeria Limited in favour of the Federal Inland Revenue Service but was fraudulently cleared through the till account no. 4491110000017 domiciled with Union Bank Nigeria Plc Area 10 Garki Branch Abuja and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act Cap C28 Laws Of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
“That you Union Bank Nigeria Plc. Tiemo Miebi, Chief Gilbert Swallah, Pius Oddiri, Olufemi Oyekan and Mrs Bridget Nweze and Monday Adeaya (now at large) sometime in March 2010 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court agreed among yourselves to commit an offence to wit, stealing of a Guaranty Trust Bank Plc cheque no 00000360 dated June 15th 2010 valued at N8,460,071.32 which cheque was issued by Arab Contractors O.A.O. Nigeria Limited in favour of the Federal Inland Revenue Service but was fraudulently cleared through the till account no. 4491110000017 domiciled with Union Bank Nigeria Plc Area 10 Garki Branch Abuja and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act Cap C28 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.â€
— Nnamdi Felix/Abuja
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