Alleged $153.3m Fraud: Indicted Bank Directors Linked To Diezani To Be Arraign By EFCC

Nnamdi Okonkwo, Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, and Dauda Lawal, First Bank’s Executive Director, are to be arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC)  over involvement with former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke, to conceal a total of $153.3million in Fidelity Bank in 2015.

Their arraignment, which was initially scheduled for Monday before Justice Muslim Hassan, of the Federal high court in  Lagos has been adjourned till December 17, 2018.

The prosecuting counsel for EFCC, Wahab Shittu, on Monday prayed for an adjournment to serve the charge sheet on Okonkwo and Adesanya. Hassan Liman (SAN), Lawal’s lawyer  notified the judge that his client had been in EFCC custody since November 29. And prayed the court to grant him to bail.

But Justice Hassan said he has no jurisdiction to grant Liman’s request as the defendants were yet to be arraigned and ordered that Lawal should be taken back to the custody of the EFCC.

Meanwhile, in the charge sheet marked FHC/4419c/18, the EFCC accused Okonkwo and Lawson of conspiracy with Diezani “to conceal in Fidelity Bank Plc, a total of $153,310,000”.

The EFCC also claimed that the defendants ought to have reasonably known that the money “formed parts of proceeds of unlawful activity: to wit: corruption”. It said the defendants committed the offence sometime in 2015, adding that they breached sections 18(a) and 15(2)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, as amended, and were liable to be punished under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

In the third count, Okonkwo, Lawal and others were accused of “aiding the use of about $25m for the acquisition of a property known as Meridien Ogeyi Place Hotel, located at Tambia Street, GRA Phase 2, Port Harcourt”.

The anti-graft agency according to the charge noted that the defendants supposed to have reasonably known that the $25m “formed part proceeds of the corruption perpetrated by Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke whilst serving as the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources and Ben Otti, who was then the Group Executive Director of Finance and Account, NNPC”.

Also, the EFCC claimed that on May 13, 2015 Okonkwo “procured Dauda Lawal (First Bank ED) to take possession of $65million” out of the $153.3million allegedly concealed in Fidelity Bank by Diezani.

Okonkwo, Lawson, Adesanya and Diezani were alleged to have on April 20, 2015 “procured one Adewale Fayemi to take possession of a total of $8.31million”.

Adewale Fayemi allegedly “procured” to take possession of another $80million on May 29, 2015 the day ex-President Goodluck Jonathan handed over power to President Muhammadu Buhari, and Diezani exited office as petroleum minister.