The Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (GTBank) and its managing director, Mr. Segun Agbaje, are under investigation by the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) for an alleged $667,000 fraudulent transaction carried out in the bank. According to BusinessLive the police dragged the bank and two others before a federal high court in Lagos, the two others being Albert Austine Ugochukwu and Tasmara Integrated Services Limited. The suit marked FHC/L/CS/586/2020 was presided over by Justice Ayokunle Faji.
The bank and its accomplices were brought before the court pursuant to section 6(6)(b), (2)(k) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended); Executive Order 6, 2018, Section 4 of Police Act, 2004, section 13(1) Federal High Court Act, 2004. And also, Section 13 (1) of money laundering and prohibition Act 2011(as amended in 2012), Order 26(6-10), 28(1)(1-3),(2)(1-6) 30(A) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure Rule) 2019: Section 16(1)(A)(B) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other fraud related offences Act, 2006 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.
35 bank accounts in GTBank were allegedly used to enact fraud and certain monies totalling $667,000 were fraudulently obtained by false pretence by the bank’s customers. The PSFU asked the court to direct GTBank to order the account officers of the 35 accounts being investigated to come for interviews, with the Certified True Copy (CTC) of some documents on the accounts. These documents are: statements of account from 1st January 2018 till date, names and addresses of signatories to the accounts, photocopies on the mandate cards, Bank Verification Number (BVN) linked to the accounts, and certificate of computer printout in compliance with Section 84 of the Evidence Act.
It is alleged that the petition against GTBank that got the attention of the PSFU was written by Segun Fadahunsi and Lanre Kasim. Fadahunsi being the General Manager and Kasim being the Senior Manager of GTBank headquarters, Lagos. And the petition was against Albert Austin Ugochukwu, a former staff of the bank, for obtaining the sum of $667, 000, using the company Tasmara Integrated Services Limited to open 35 different accounts number which he used launder money.
In view of this, the police asked the court for an order restricting GTBank from allowing any transactions on the 35 accounts involved until their investigation is concluded.