There
are strong indications that about five bank chiefs may soon face trial
over $153million allegedly withdrawn by the ex- Minister of Petroleum
Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke from the accounts of the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in December 2014.
According
to The Nation, a source from the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), revealed the intention of the anti-graft agency to
prosecute about five bank chiefs who allegedly aided the ex-minister in
making the withdrawal from NNPC accounts and stashing same in private
accounts of Diezani.
While the source noted that the commission is
not making that a priority at the moment, it however said, “Some of
these bank chiefs are pleading that we should allow them to refund the
funds credited to them without prosecution. But the weight of evidence
will determine our position at the end of the day.
“The truth is
that many bank chiefs were engaged by the ex-minister to perpetrate
fraud. So far, all the banks implicated are cooperating with the EFCC.
We hope that in two weeks’ time, the $153million would have been
forfeited to the Federal Government.”
The EFCC had on Friday
obtained an order of a Federal High Court in Lagos to temporarily seize
$153,310,000 allegedly laundered into four Nigerian banks by Diezani.
The
EFCC had told the court that the huge cash was wired from NNPC accounts
to Fidelity Bank before it was shared into Sterling Bank, Access Bank
Plc, First Bank Plc and Fidelity Bank Plc for safe keeping.
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