Two bankers granted N20m bail for alleged theft of N35m deposit

Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday granted N20m bail to two staff members of Keystone Bank Limited, Ebele Okpala and Perpetua Onyeto, over alleged obtaining of N35m.

Okpala and Onyeto were granted bail after their counsel argued the bail application brought before the court.

The duo were arraigned on Friday, August 30, 2024, by the Police Special Fraud Unit, in Lagos over alleged fraud.

Okpala and Onyeto are facing five counts bordering on conspiracy, stealing, money laundering and obtaining by false pretence preferred against them, by the police.

The prosecution counsel who is a Chief Superintendent of Police, Eliot Ejie, told the court that the two bankers committed the offences sometime in July 2023.

CSP Ejie told the court that the first defendant, Okpala, in connivance with the second defendant,  Onyeto, who worked at the branch of the bank in Anambra State, fraudulently lifted a lien placed on the bank’s customer’s account and transferred the money to her account number 1000234952 domiciled in Keystone Bank.

According to the prosecutor, the offences committed by the defendants, contravened Sections 1(1)(c), Advance Fee Fraud and other related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

He also told the court that the two bankers’ acts contravened Sections 516 and 383 (1) Criminal Code Act LFN 2004. And Sections 21(a) and 18 (2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

The case was then adjourned till Monday, for the hearing of their bail applications.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, the defendants’ counsel argued their bail applications which was vehemently opposed by the prosecutor.

But Justice Dipeolu, after listening to the arguments on their bail applications, granted the two bankers bail in the sum of N10m each with two sureties each in like sum.

The judge also ordered that one of the sureties must be a landed property owner within the court’s jurisdiction, while the second surety, must be a Grade level 16 officer in either Lagos or Federal Government establishment.

He adjourned the case till November 6, 2024, for trial.