Lukman Olabiyi
The sum of N8.7 million which was fraudulently withdrew from the Union Bank Plc customer, Alexander Cherembem Okan, has been returned by the bank.
This was made known on yesterday, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), before the Federal High Court, Lagos, while reviewing the fact of criminal charge brought against a contract staff of the bank, Kazeem Alli, who was arrested and prosecuted in connection with the fraud.
The convict was first arraigned on October 22, 2018 on a three-count -charge of conspiracy and cybercrime related offences.
The convict, the EFCC said, had on May 8, 2018, while still working as a staff of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, failed to obtain proper data of a customer of the bank in processing Unionmobile in respect of the account No. 0010807900.
Ali was also alleged to have impersonated one Alexander Cherembem Okan and fraudulently withdrew the sum of N8. 677, 907 million from his account.
The offences, the EFCC argued, are contrary to and punishable under Sections 22, 22(2) and 37 of the Cyber Crimes Prohibition Act, 2015.
He had pleaded not guilty to and admitted to bail in the sum of N20 million with one surety and other conditions.
But due to the convict’s inability to meet the bail terms, he entered a plea bargain agreement with the EFCC and the three-count charge was reduced to a count, which he pleaded guilty to.
During the hearing of the plea bargain agreement and after his re-arraignment on the one-count charge, the presiding judge, Justice Chuka Obiozor, had asked the EFCC to produce in court others who conspired to commit the fraud.
But the prosecutor, Ebuka Okogwu, informed the court that others arrested in connection with the fraud had paid back some monies.
At the resumed hearing yesterday, the prosecutor told the court that the bank has repaid the fraud victim of the said money.
The prosecutor tendered before the court the document showing that the bank had indeed repay the victim of the fraud the said sum and the document was admitted by the court.
Upon the submission of the prosecutor that the fraud victim had been restituted of the fraud sum, Justice Obiozor, allowed in the plea bargain agreement dated June 6, 2019 but filed June 10, 2019 and signed by the prosecutor, the convict and his counsel, Olafimihan Ogunbiyi.