N8bn scam-Banker made N30m in one deal-EFCC

It has been revealed that ,one of the Central Bank of Nigeria staff made N30m in one deal..During the proceedings at the Federal High Court, Ibadan the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday told Justice Adeyinka Faaji, that some of the accused persons in the N8bn mutilated currency fraud confessed to committing the offence during investigation.

The lead counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), during the continuation of the suit in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, specifically told the court that one of the accused, Mrs. Olunike Esther Afolabi, confessed to making N30m in one of the deals.

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He also told the court how one of the accused persons, Oni Dolapo, conspired to defraud the Central Bank of Nigeria of N1.3bn under the pretext that the sum in mutilated notes, which came from Wema Bank, was meant to be destroyed.

The EFCC counsel said Dolapo in his confessional statement admitted that the amount was contained in 173 boxes from the CBN vault.

The prosecution counsel said the accused person used the proceeds of his fraudulent act to buy choice property in Ibadan and other places.

Some of the property, according to Jacobs, included four plots of land at Eleyele, Ibadan valued at N3m, three acres of land at Ona-Ara, Ibadan and two acres of land at Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State, which he acquired in 2012.

The EFCC also alleged that Mrs. Afolabi, who allegedly confessed to have made N30m from the deal, owned filling stations, tankers, borehole drilling machine, a Kia Cerato car and a house at No 15, Akuru, Oluyole extension in Ibadan.

Jacobs told the court that Mrs. Afolabi also confessed that she owned one old house around Faleke, Challenge area of Ibadan which she bought for N7m.

Mrs. Afolabi, the EFCC lead counsel added, used N4m to renovate the building in 2012.Jacobs added that Mrs. Afolabi had N10m in a bank account..

The judge however, opposed the bail applications by all the accused persons.He argued that since the accused persons had admitted that they committed the crime during investigation, the court should grant accelerated hearing instead of wasting time on bail applications.

Culled from Punch