A primary school teacher in Anambra State, Mrs Roseline Uche Egbuha, has been arrested by officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) after the sum of N550 million said to have been sent by her 24-year-old son was discovered in her account with a new generation bank.
Also arrested by the commission were three staff of the bank: the compliance officer, Beckley Ojo; an Operations Manager, Chisomaga Daly-Okoro, a staff of the legal department, Sarah Ugamah and a lawyer to the bank in Anambra State, Nsikak Udoh.
According to a statement by the ICPC in its official twitter handle, Mrs Egbuha, a teacher with Ozala Primary School, Abagana, Anambra State, was earlier arrested in 2019 by ICPC and granted bail after an investigation into her financial transactions consequent upon the receipt of a petition had shown her alleged involvement in money laundering.
The ICPC, in a series of investigation, found that the school teacher had N539.5 million in her account with the said bank alleged to have been proceeds of money laundering from Malaysia which had also yielded interest, making the total amount to be N550 million.
It was gathered that she told officials of the commission during interrogation that the money found in her account belonged to her 24-year-old son, Chidozie Fabian Ejeaka, whose whereabouts could not be established.
A Post No Debit (PND) was placed on the account to allow the commission to carry out further investigation, while a case of forfeiture of the suspected proceeds of crime was instituted against her in a court of law.
The commission said her arrest with the staff of the bank and the lawyer was due to their connivance in lifting the restriction placed on her account and the subsequent transfer of N550 million (principal sum and interest) into the account.
The ICPC found out that the money was transferred on 4th June 2020, the same day the court order was obtained.
The commission also found out that the N550 million was promptly split and moved into multiple bank accounts owned by Bureau de Change operators and private individuals with N340 million said to have been moved in two instalments of N200 million and N140 million into the Polaris bank account of a Bureau de Change operator.
It said N100 million was transferred into the account of another company while N18 million was transferred to the account of the lawyer, Isa. The balance of the money was moved into other accounts.
The commission said the investigation is ongoing and appropriate actions will be taken upon conclusion.
