N7.9b Fraud: EFCC Docks 6 Diamond Bank Managers, Others

Details: Category: Law, Crime & Judiciary; Published on Wednesday, 23 February 2011 07:55; Written by Leadership; Hits: 2352

Ten persons including six officials of Diamond Bank Plc were yesterday arraigned by the Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State for allegedly granting unsecured and unauthorized credit facilities to the tune of N7.8 billion(seven billion, eight hundred million naira).

According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, EFCC’s Head Media and Publicity, “six officials of Diamond Bank, which include Messrs Adesoji Adekunle, Utieyen Obioru,Abdulazeez Salau, Gbolahan Ladoja, Chukwuma Ladoja and Tokunbo Obayemi. The seventh accused person is Mrs Modupe Sobodu, a customer of the bank and three of her companies, Messrs Dupsob Nigeria Limited, Nukep Nigeria Limited and Mofadeb Investment Limited, in which she is the managing director and chief executive.

The accused persons who took their turn at the dock pleaded not guilty to the five count charge bordering on conspiracy to defraud Diamond bank by granting unsecured loans. Thereafter, Counsel to EFCC, Cosmos Ugwu asked the court to fix a date for the trial. He also asked the court to remand the accused persons in prison custody. However, Chukwudi Maduka, counsel to the 1, 2,4,5,6 accused persons asked the court to grant the accused persons bail as they were already enjoying EFCC administrative bail. He said the accused persons came to court from their homes, a pointer to the fact that they would not jump bail and would not run away.