124M Fraud: EFCC Arraigns Ex Banker for Stealing

Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Monday 12th February, 2018 has arraigned one Adejare Sonde, a former banker before Justice A. A. Akinyemi of the State High Court sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State on a twelve-count charge bordering on stealing, forgery and uttering.
The defendant however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.
In view of his plea, prosecution counsel, Cosmos Ugwu prayed the court for a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant in prison custody. However, counsel to the defendant, E. E. Jacob informed the court of a bail application already filed before the court.  He thereafter prayed the court
to allow the defendant remain in the EFCC's custody pending the hearing of the bail application.

Justice Akinyemi however, granted the defense prayer and ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC's custody pending hearing of bail application.

The case is adjourned to Friday February 16, 2018 for trial and hearing of bail application.

 Adeyemi was arraigned following a petition from a Regional Compliance Head and Compliance Officer of one of the new generation banks (name withheld) alleging that the defendant, Adejare Sonde   whilst still a staff of the bank and also an account office of a Microfinance bank  (name withheld) suppressed and diverted the sum of 124,000,000.00. (One Hundred and Twenty Four Million Naira) property of the Microfinance bank.  The petitioner explained that Adejare as account officer of the customer allegedly collected cash from the Microfinance bank on several occasions totaling N124Million which were not credited into the customer’s account. Further investigations revealed that the defendant allegedly doctored emails which he sent to the microfinance bank as monthly statements of account meanwhile there was no remit in the account.

One of the charge reads: Adejare Sonde between March 2015 and February 2017 whilst a staff of FCMB PLC and the account officer of UNAAB Microfiance Bank Ltd Account No: 0725813014 domiciled at the UNAAB main campus branch of FUMB, Abeokuta, within the Abeokuta Judicial Division stole the sum of N54, 000,000.00 (Fifty Four Million Naira) only property of UNAAB Microfinance Bank Ltd.

Another charge reads: : Adejare Sonde on or about the 1st of July, 2016  whilst a staff of FCMB PLC and the account officer of UNAAB Microfinance Bank Ltd Account No: 0725813014 domiciled at the UNAAB main campus branch of FUMB, Abeokuta, within the Abeokuta Judicial Division stole the sum of N40,002,100.00 ( Forty Million, Two Thousand One Hundred Naira) only property of UNAAB Microfinance Bank Ltd.