Diezani’s $115m bribe: CEOs of two Nigerian banks return billions of Naira to FG
– The EFCC released the chief executive officers of two Nigerian banks after they returned billions of Naira they had illicitly acquired from political slush funds
– Yemi Adeola, the Sterling Bank’s CEO, was released on Friday, May 6, after he deposited a payment of N5 billion
– He is expected to pay back a total of N17 billion to the recovery accounts of the Nigerian treasury within two weeks
– The EFCC also released Herbert Wigwe, the managing director of Access Bank Plc.
– The case of Access Bank was linked to oil businessmen, Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko, who are suspected to have stolen more than $6 billion from oil proceeds
Yemi Adeola
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly released the chief executive officers of two Nigerian banks.
According to Sahara Reporters, the men regained freedom after they returned billions of naira they had illicitly acquired from political slush funds during the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan.
The EFCC sources revealed that Yemi Adeola, the Sterling Bank’s CEO, was released on Friday, May 6, after he deposited a payment of N5 billion.
According to one of the sources, the money returned by Adeola was in partial restitution for a transaction of $88 million he received from Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former minister of petroleum resources.
READ ALSO: EFCC storms Sterling bank as Senators warn governors
The chief executive officer is expected to pay back a total of N17 billion to the recovery accounts of the Nigerian treasury within two weeks.
Last night, the anti-graft agency also released Herbert Wigwe, the managing director of Access Bank Plc., who was arrested after the EFCC operatives raided the bank headquarters in Lagos.
Herbert Wigwe
According to a source familiar with the development, some notable Nigerians, including Oba Akiolu of Lagos and the bank’s former CEO, Aig-Imokhuede, had pressured the anti-corruption agency to grant Wigwe bail.
“We refused all such entreaties until Mr. Wigwe returned $5 million,” he said.
The EFCC source said the agency was conducting discreet investigations and recoveries of plundered funds from rogue bank CEOs who assisted Alison-Madueke and other officials of the past administration to launder funds.
The source revealed that most of the funds were laundered through opaque accounts that were kept “off records” by bank MDS.
READ ALSO: Diezani’s $115m bribe: Put a bullet in my head if I touched the money – Ex-senator
The case of Access Bank was linked to oil businessmen Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko, who are suspected to have stolen more than $6 billion from oil proceeds that should have accrued to the Nigerian government treasury.
The EFCC source said that the businessmen’s link at Access Bank is an executive director, Angela Ebagua, who is Omokore’s wife.
EFCC investigators have recently searched Ebagua home in Lagos and found her in possession of a $600k wristwatch.
Investigating the poll bribery scandal, the anti-graft agency has beamed its searchlight on four former ministers from Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states.
The ex-ministers are believed to have received part of the N23billion allegedly laundered by Diezani Alison-Madueke.
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