Two Keystone Bank staff arraigned for alleged N35m fraud, money laundering

Two employees of Keystone Bank Limited, Ebele Bernardine Okpala and Perpetua Onyeto, were arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos on charges of conspiracy, theft, money laundering, and obtaining ₦35 million under false pretenses.

The arraignment was carried out last Friday by the Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) of the Nigeria Police, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Eliot Ijie, serving as the prosecutor, informed the court that the alleged crimes occurred in July 2023.

The first defendant, Okpala, who worked at a Keystone Bank branch in Anambra State, is accused of conspiring with Onyeto, a colleague from the Nsukka branch in Enugu State, to commit the financial fraud.

According to CSP Ijie, Okpala fraudulently obtained ₦35 million from a finance company by securing a loan through her Keystone Bank account.

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She allegedly placed a lien on the account to facilitate acquiring international travel documents for her daughter. However, she later colluded with Onyeto to lift the lien without the bank’s authorization, subsequently absconding with the funds.

The prosecutor charged that their actions violated several laws, including sections of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act of 2006, the Criminal Code Act LFN 2004, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the five counts against them.

During today’s court session, Justice Deinde I. Dipeolu granted bail to the defendants, setting the amount at ₦10 million each with two sureties in like sum.

The court stipulated that one surety must own landed property within its jurisdiction, while the other must be a Grade Level 16 officer in either Lagos or federal government service. The trial has been adjourned to November 6, 2024.