Otudeko, ex-First Bank MD Onasanya
Alleged N12.3b fraud: Otudeko, ex-First Bank MD Onasanya to be arraigned Monday
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to arraign the Chairman of Honeywell Group, Chief Oba Otudeko, and a former First Bank Managing Director, Stephen Onasanya, on Monday at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos State.
for allegedly defrauding the bank of N12.3 billion.
The EFCC will arraign Otudeko, a former Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Holdings, and Onasanya, and a former board member of Honeywell Plc, Soji Akintayo, as well as a firm, Anchorage Leisure Limited, said to be connected to Otudeko, over alleged fraud of N12.3 billion at the First Bank.
The EFCC stated that the four defendants committed the alleged fraud in tranches of N5.2 billion, N6.2 billion, N6.150 billion, N1.5 billion, and N500 million, between 2013 and 2014 in Lagos.
They are facing a 13-count charge, which EFCC’s lawyer Bilikisu Buhari filed on January 16, alleging that the defendants made and forged documents to deceive the bank.
Otudeko, Onasanya, Akintayo, and Anchorage are being arraigned before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke.
One of the charges states: “That you, Chief Oba Otudeko, Stephen Olabisi Onasanya, Soji Akintayo, and Anchorage Leisure Limited on or about December 11, 2013 in Lagos procured Honeywell Flour Mills Plc to retain N1.5 billion, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: obtaining by false pretense, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(c), 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.