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Ebele Bernardine Okpala and Perpetua Onyeto, employees of Keystone Bank Limited, faced charges of conspiracy, theft, money laundering, and obtaining N35 million under false pretenses before the Lagos Federal High Court last Friday.
The charges, filed by the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police in Ikoyi, Lagos, allege that the offenses occurred in July 2023. According to the prosecution led by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Eliot Ijie, Okpala, based at a Keystone branch in Anambra State, and Onyeto, from a branch in Nsuka, Enugu State, conspired to defraud the bank.
The court was informed that Okpala fraudulently secured a N35 million loan from a finance company, which she deposited into her Keystone account and placed a lien on to obtain international travel documents for her daughter. She allegedly conspired with Onyeto to lift the lien unauthorizedly and misappropriate the funds.
The prosecution argues that their actions violate several laws, including the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, the Criminal Code Act LFN 2004, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Both defendants have denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the five counts.
Justice Deinde I. Dipeolu granted bail to each defendant in the sum of N10 million with two sureties each. One surety must own property within the court’s jurisdiction, while the other must be a Grade Level 16 officer in a Lagos or federal government establishment.
The case has been adjourned to November 6 for further proceedings.
