The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has charged a former employee of Skye Bank, Mr. Yemi-Aris Olaniran, to court for allegedly defrauding the Federal Government of N78.52 million, Punch Metro reports.
The ICPC said in a statement by its spokesperson, Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa, that Olaniran, while being in the employ of the bank between 2011 and 2013, created 50 fake bank accounts and diverted N78.52m meant for the payment of pensioners into the fictitious accounts.
The statement read in part, “The commission, which preferred 24 charges against the ex-banker before Justice Babatunde Quadri, of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, accused him of allegedly transferring N78, 521, 431.61 from the Federal Government Pension funds into private accounts held by non-pensioners in contravention of Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering Act 2011. The alleged offence is punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.”
The commission had earlier arraigned Olaniyan before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court 7, Maitama-Abuja, but had to seek for the transfer of the case to another trial judge due to the criminal charges preferred against Ademola by the Federal Government.
The EFCC counsel held that the ex-banker, in one instance opened an account in the name of Ibrahim Nurudeen, and transferred the sum of N11, 248, 439.52.
He was also alleged to have in another illegal transaction, wired N9.58m from the Federal Government pension account into a Skye bank account in the name of Umar Abdullahi who was not a registered pensioner.
One of the charges read in part, “That you Yemi-Aris Olaniran, between October 2011 and March 2013 at Gwagwalada Abuja whilst being an employee of Skye Bank Plc directly transferred the sum of N11, 248, 439.52 belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria to an account opened in the name of one Ibrahim Nurudeen when you reasonably ought to have known that such funds were the proceeds of an unlawful act and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the Money Laundering Act 2011 as amended.”
Olaniran pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to him as his counsel, Mr. Ojo Olugbemiga, urged the court to allow his earlier bail to remain.
The trial judge, in his ruling, ordered that his bail should continue and adjourned the matter till April 11, 2017 for hearing.
