20th September, 2015
AKIN KUPONIYI
A Manager in charge of e-business unit of Diamond bank Plc, Uchenna Okengwu alleged to have manipulated the income account of the bank to the advantage of his family members has been arraigned before a Federal high court in Lagos south West Nigeria.
In a nine-count criminal charge number FHC/L/387C/2015 filed before the court by the Police prosecuting counsel from Special Fraud Unit of the Nigerian Police Force, Chief Superintendent Of Police, Effiong Asuquo, it was alleged that the accused banker between April 2014 and August,2015 while working in the e-bussiness unit of Diamond Bank Plc as a staff handling daily settlement entries of transactions done on Point of Sales(POS) and (ATM) of the bank’s customers unlawfully with intention to defraud conspired with some members of his family who are now at large and credited them with total sum of N131,104,445.17.
The money was supposed to be credited into the income account of the bank.
The unlawful credit was alleged to have been credited in the following manner:
Uchenna Okengwu account number 0000944875-N93,357,640.30
Rosamund Sofinasa Okengwu account number 004683082-N10,005,432.76
Okengwu Ugonna Bekky-account number 0007415291-N13,285,479.56
Chukwuemeka kingsley Okengwu account number-0046643855-N9,455,892.61
The offence alleged to have been committed by the accused banker is contrary to and punishable under section 20 of Cyber crime (Prohibition,Prevention) Act,2015.
The accused pleaded not guilty.
Consequently, his counsel Clement Odalumeh, while orally applying for bail, urged the court to admit the accused to bail since the accused is presumed innocent until the contrary is proven and that the offence was a bailable one.
The presiding judge, Mohammed Yunusa, while adjourning the case for trial ordered Mr Odalumeh to file formal application for bail.