Police arraign 2 Keystone Bank staff over alleged N35m fraud

Police arraign 2 Keystone Bank staff over alleged N35m fraud
Mrs. Ebele Bernardine Okpala (r), the Keystone Bank’s staff accused of stealing N35m

Two staff of Keystone Bank Limited, Ebele Bernardine Okpala and Perpetua Onyeto, have been arraigned before a Lagos Federal High Court, on charges bordering on alleged conspiracy, theft, money laundering and obtaining the sum of N35 million by false presence.

The two bankers were arraigned last Friday, by the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The prosecutor, Barrister Eliot Ijie, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) told the court that the two bankers committed the offences sometimes in July 2023.

Particularly, CSP Ijie told the court that the first defendant, Ebele Bernardine Okpala, who worked in one of the bank’s braches in Anambra state, in coniviance with the second defendant, Perpetua Onyeto, who worked at a branch of the bank in Nsuka, Enugu State, to commit the financial fraud.

Specifically, the prosecuting counsel told the court that the first defendant, Mrs Okpala, fraudulently obtained the sum of N35 million from a finance company into her Keystone bank account, as loan and placed lien on the account to enable her secure international travelling documents for her daughter, but later connived with the second defendant, Perpetual Onyeto to lift the lien without authorization from the bank and made away with the money in the account.

The prosecutor also told the court that the offences committed by the two defendants, contravened sections 1(1)(c), Advance Fee Fraud and bother related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act.

He also told the court that the two bankers’ acts, contravened sections 516 and 383 (1) Criminal Code Act LFN 2004. And sections 21(a) and 18 (2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under section 18(3) of the same Act.

The two bankers denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the five counts charge.

However, at there resumed hearing of the charges against the two bankers today, Justice Deinde I. Dipeolu, after taken arguments on their bail applications, which was not opposed by the prosecutor, admitted the two banker to bail in the sum of N10 million each with two sureties in like sum.

Justice Dipeolu among order, also ordered that one of the sureties, must be a landed property owner within the court’s jurisdiction, while the second surety, must be a Grade level 16 officer in either Lagos or federal government establishment.

The matter has been adjourned to November 6, for the two defendants’ trial.