Bank Staff forced to Testify against Bank Boss

A former bank staff has testified how he was forced to give false accusation against one of his boss. This is how Punch is reporting the story:

A former staff of Keystone Bank, Mr Uguru Onyike, Tuesday told a Lagos High Court in Ikeja, western Nigeria, that he was coerced to make false allegations of forgery against a former Managing Director of Bank PHB, Francis Atuche.

Onyike, a former head of operations of the bank’s Central Shared Services(CSS) Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos  made the claim while testifying before Justice Lateefat Okunnu at the resumed trial of Atuche.

The former bank MD and his wife, Elizabeth, are being prosecuted for allegedly stealing N25.7 billion belonging to Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank) by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Also charged with them is a former Chief Financial Officer of the bank, Ugo Anyanwu.

Onyike who was led in evidence by Atuche’s counsel, Mr Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), said on 4 March, 2013, one of his staff,Mr Joachim Nnosiri, brought to his attention three documents which were earlier subpoenaed by Okunnu in Atuche’s trial.

He said the documents which were board resolutions emanated from Futureview Securities Ltd., Tradjeck Ltd. and Extra Oil Ltd and were addressed to Keystone Bank, relating to the granting of  a N10.9 billion loan facility.

Onyike said Nnosiri claimed that he found the board resolutions in the bundle of documents that were being rearranged in the CSS department and forwarded them to him.

He said, however, when they brought the documents to the attention of the authorities of the bank, they were detained for over 24 hours and the EFCC was later invited.

The witness said: “The bank and the EFCC were working together and they told us to write a statement implicating Atuche and that the documents were not authentic.

“One Mr Madaki Abdullahi of the EFCC promised to use us as prosecution witnesses against Atuche.

“Abdullahi said that we should make the statement to be very believable.

“We had a chat and agreed on how to write a statement that could implicate Atuche.

“The two statements were dictated to me by the EFCC and I signed both of them.”

He said after writing the statement, he was later charged alongside  Nnosiri and Atuche before Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo, also of a Lagos High Court in Ikeja for forgery.

Onyike said he was not happy with the way the bank and the EFCC treated him, noting that he was also placed on an indefinite suspension.

The witness said this prompted him to depose to an affidavit on 26 March, 2013, where he retracted the contents of both statements.

Under cross-examination by the EFCC counsel, Mr Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), Onyike insisted that he had no previous nor personal relationship with the Atuches.

He also debunked Pinheiro’s claim that he received cash payments in dollars to testify on behalf of the defendants.

“The EFCC has access to my account. I came here to testify because I know it is my civic duty to do so.

“I am not angry at the bank because at the end of the day, I know that my innocence will be validated and everything will be resolved,” the witness said.

The matter was adjourned till 25 June for continuation of trial.

The EFCC should be carefully, lets hope this wasn't how they were able to get some supposedly high level convictions. This is really an indictment on them and should be taken seriously.