Wema Bank has debunked news making rounds that a Magistrate’s Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, had issued a warrant for the arrest of its Managing Director, Ademola Adebise, in connection with a Garnishee proceeding for the payment of a judgement-debt on behalf of the Bayelsa State Government.
The bank in a statement said contrary to the facts presented before Her Worship, Mrs. Elizabeth Jones, the said set of five cheques for the total sum of N50m issued in protest based on pending applications before an Abuja High Court then, were in favor of the Chief Registrar FCT High Court, not in favour Barrister. George Haliday who is now claiming the proceeds of the cheques.
According to the bank, the cheques were not signed by Ademola Adebise who had not assumed the position of the Managing Director of the bank at the material time the cheques were issued in favour of the Chief Registrar.
“Furthermore, we would like to state that the five cheques issued in protest by our Bank were not dud cheques as alleged by the complainant. The cheques have only not been cleared for payment because of the subsisting Appeal at the Court of Appeal Abuja on the Garnishee proceeding which has now been decided in favour of the bank.
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“It was after Barrister George Haliday lost at the Appeal Court that he resorted to a Magistrate Court in Abuja to lodge a complaint about issuance of dud cheques. It is very worthy of note that the judgement debt against Bayelsa State Government, which Barrister George Haliday attempted to enforce by a garnishee proceeding, thereby leading to the issuance of the cheques in question had been settled by Bayelsa State Government via a Terms of Settlement between Barrister. George Haliday and the Bayelsa State Government at the Supreme Court.
The stated that the warrant for the arrest of Ademola Adebise is in violation of his fundamental rights to fair hearing as he was never personally served with any process to appear before the Magistrate Court, nor was he represented in court.
“We are a law-abiding corporate citizen; if there were any court summons properly served on the Managing Director for his appearance in court, he would have done so without fail. But, in this case, there was no such service extended to him or any court processes personally served on him to appear in court until a warrant of arrest was issued in absentia. We view the arrest warrant as being an infringement on his fundamental rights.”