Friday, December 7, 2012

N78bn fraud: ‘Atuche stole Bank PHB money to buy shares’



More revelation hit the courtroom yesterday as the Economic and Financial crime commission ( EFCC) witness, Mr Hamada Bello, an investigator, trained by United Kingdom metropolitan Police and United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) told Justice Lateefat Okunnu of an Ikeja High Court that the erstwhile managing director of Bank PHB(now Keystone Bank)Mr. Francis Atuche use the bank’s depositors fund to buy personal shares and subsequently transfer N45million to two catholic churches.
Francis Atuche, his wife, Elizabeth, and the former Chief Financial Officer Bank PHB, Ugo Anyanwu, are currently standing trial for financial crimes bordering on money laundering, theft and gross misappropriation Bello particularly accused Atuche, saying the former bank chief authorized his Chief Financial Officer to transfer N45 billion to other banks to purchase public offer shares. Bello added that Atuche collected loans from the bank using Bank PHB client’s account without the knowledge of the account owner.
The witness mentioned the company account statement of Mr Peter Ololo, Managing Director of Peterson Oil and Gas Limited, and Mrs Elizabeth Ebi as the beneficiaries of the loan facilities, but claimed that the loans were secured without the consent of account owners Bello also presented documents in court, some of which include electronic mails sent as an order to release 35million to St Monica’s Church ,Ibusa, Delta State and another sum of N10 million to St Augustine’s Catholic Church.
National Mirror

No comments: