Two staff arrested
The Lagos State Police Command is investigating three new generation Banks for alleged fraud and money Laundering of US$ 450,267.82 Naira equivalent of N162,765,000.00.
Already, two persons, including a Bank staff have been arrested in connection with the fraud and they are being quizzed by Area ‘F’ Police Commander, ACP Akinbayo Olasoji, who is the lead investigator of the case .
A police source at Command Headquarters, Ikeja, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he was not supposed to speak with the newsmen, said: “As I am speaking with you, two Bank staff, one from Heritage Bank are with the Area F Commander, who is personally investigating the case .It is a serious Cartel of three Banks, Zenith, Heritage and UBA. The three Banks are being investigated as they assisted in Laundering the money .They knew the money is proceeds of fraud .
” I can authoritatively tell you that outside from the $450,267.82,another N1,508.882.747.00 billion is also hanging on the necks of the Banks. The Banks have been invited .One of the Banks staff has made confessional statement linking his management staff as members of the money laundering cartel .
“The $450,267.82 is a proceed of fraud from the account of Karmen J Verney ,and Helen Galberth Wells Fargo Bank, United States of America ,which was paid into a UBA Corporate Account number 3002760974 ,belonging to MXG Energy for the purpose of Naira exchange N162.785,000.00,and which was said fund changed to Naira and was further credited into various Bank Accounts from MXG Energy domiciled in UBA .
” In furtherance of investigation into the allegations against the accounts holder ,the staff of Heritage Bank and his wife got a total sum of N52,060.200.00 and another N12,250,000.00 in another fraudulent of $97,100.00.A total of N1,508,882.747.00,was credited into his Zenith Bank PLC number 2086710279 from September 10, 2018 to November 26 2019,while GTB was credited with a total of N8,363,600.85 from September 3, 2018 to November 27 ,2019″.
” UBA is claiming to be the complaint in the matter ,but they kept the money for the suspect without reporting to relevant agencies ,meaning that it had ulterior motive .If not for our investigation, the Bank was enjoying the precedes of crime .Money Laundering as you know is a serious crime. The police are investigating so as to bring those involved in the crime to book. About four senior management staff of the Banks will be invited for questioning. My brother , how can a Bank staff have as much as N1 billion in his account. How much is his salary for life .We need to do something to fish out the bad eggs in the financial institutions “.
Spokesman of Heritage bank, Mr. Fela exonerated his bank from the dirty deal.
According to him, “Heritage bank has no hand in the fraud. The transaction was not carried out by our bank.It was carried out using another bank.
“One of the suspects is our staff but he did not carry out the transaction in the name of the bank, he did it in his personal capacity.”