By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos Nigeria will on July 23 deliver ruling on the plea bargain agreement adopted by parties in the N8.7 million fraud case in which former Union bank staff Kazeem Adeniyi is standing trial.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecutor, Miss C.C. Okezie, had in her submission, told the court that both parties had reached a plea bargain agreement, but the complainant was yet to receive the financial reimbursement.
According to the EFCC, Adeniyi had on May 8, 2018, while working as a staff of the bank, failed to obtain proper data of a bank customer; Mr Alexander Cherembem, before processing Unionmobile in respect of Account No. 0010807900.
He is alleged to have conspired with other persons now at large, to impersonate the complainant and fraudulently withdrew the sum of N8.7million from the said account.
However, the defendant banker had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Thursday, a Union Bank representative, Mr Idakwo Haruna, who identified himself as the team leader of the banks’ fraud recovery sub-unit, told the court that the bank had agreed to the terms of the agreement.
According to him, the bank had undertaken to repay the complainant and were in the process of approving the payment.
Okezie on her part, told the court that N2.9 million had been recovered from the defendant in tranches during the investigation, out of which N1 million had been transmitted to the bank for reimbursement.
Consequently, the vacation judge presiding over the case, Justice (Prof) Chuka Austine Obiozor, adjourned the case until July 23, to enable the bank process repayment to the complainant before the court could rule on the plea bargain.
“There is no law to accept the plea bargain, it is at the discretion of the court and the court also has a right of restitution,” Obiozor held.
According to the charge, the offences allegedly committed by defendant are contrary to and punishable under Sections 22, 22 (2) and 37 of the Cyber Crimes Prohibition Act, 2015.
