Stakeholders Panic As Globus Bank Suffers N900m Loss
OpenLife Nigeria reports that it is certainly not song of hallelujah in Globus Bank at the moment as investors and stakeholders are worried over loss running into billions.
Just like it happened about two years ago when Globus Bank Ltd was defrauded to the tune of N1,755,376,156.34 during a glitch in the system of the bank, the bank was alleged to have again been swindled to the tune of N900million by one of its customers in collaboration with some of its staff.
In an affidavit sworn to by one Abigail Madukaife an employee of law firm of Country Hill Attorneys,counsel to the bank and filed before a Lagos high court, by Barrister Michael Enyinnaya stated under the caption of PARTICULARS OF FRAUD, that HARIL-GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LTD is an on-lending merchant of the Globus bank engaged in the business of lending to its customers.
The dynamics of the bank’s on-lending business scheme is that an approved on-lending merchant is availed an overdraft facility which is booked on a restricted account specifically dedicated for its lending business with the bank under the scheme.
For the on-lending merchant to have access to the funds on the restricted account, the merchants shall via the bank’s Corporate Internet Banking (CIB) platform send a request for approval of funds to be released to a customer already onboarded on the bank’s platform, whose account bears either a GLBSC or GBCCI product/scheme code.
It is only upon such request and confirmation by the bank of the customer’s account status (whether it is one with the GLBSC or GBCCI product/scheme code) that the bank can debit the on-lending merchant’s overdraft account and credit the customer’s account.
Sometime in November 2023, the bank during its routine review of transactions by its Internal Audit Department discovered that a fraud to the tune of around N900,000,000.00 was perpetrated against the bank by the Haril-Global Solutions Ltd and its Agents in collusion with the bank’s IT staff, Mr. George Benedict Igwe,and ex-staff,Mr Chinedu Mba.
They were said to have by passed the restrictions for operating the company’s overdraft facility account, debited the account through the backend and fraudulently transferred funds to the company’s account number 3000002010 in the name of Haril – Global Solutions Ltd and subsequently to other beneficiaries.
Further investigations by the bank revealed that the fraud perpetrated on the bank by the company and its cohorts was around N900,000,000.00 (Nine Hundred Million Naira).
Immediately the bank became aware of the fraud, the bank lodged a Complaint, with the office of the Inspector General of Police AIG Zone 2 Command Onikan, Lagos State, who inmediately apprehended the bank staff, Mr. George Benefit Igwe.
He made a statement admitting to colluding with Haril-Global solutions Ltd to defraud the Bank by giving the company access and control of his work station which enable the alter -ego of the company,Mr.Idris Olayiwola,to debit the overdraft account and fraudulently transfer funds to the Company’s account number 3000002010-Haril-Global solution Ltd from where the funds were subsequently transferred to other beneficiaries including one Samuel Oyeleye Oyesiji.
One of the beneficiaries of the fraud Olowosile Oluwaseun perpetrated against the bank was apprehended by the Nigerian Police force zone Command,Onikan,Lagos state,wherein he admitted his receipt of the fraudulent transfer into his account.
Due to the fact that the offence is a financial crime, the bank further took steps by submitting a petition to the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,Lagos Command, who is currently investigating the matter and have invited several persons involved in the fraud including the Haril-Global solutions Ltd who is yet to honor the invitation.
The salvaged sums are still in the custody of the Haril-Global solutions Ltd and some commercial banks and order of the court is needed to reverse the said sums.
The deponent contended seriously that the funds transferred by the company into the account of the beneficiaries as listed before the court, amount to fraudulent proceeds.
Consequently, Globus bank is urging the court to direct the receiving banks to place a post no debt on the accounts of the beneficiaries and reverse the money in such beneficiaries accounts.
In addition,the court should direct that any beneficiary of the fraud should be arrested and hand over to law enforcement Agency.
However,in counter affidavit sworn to by a legal practitioner Mr Zac Otemuyiwa on behalf of Haril-Global Solutions Ltd. stated that almost the contents of the affidavit of Abigatl Madukaife are false,the company did not in collusion with some of the ex-staff of the bank fraudulently bypassed the restriction placed on its account number 1000085336.
The company did not in collusion with some of the bank’s staff and ex-staff move out N900,000,000 or any other sum from his over draft facility account into its collection account number 3000002010.
The company did not move and cannot move any funds to several beneficiaries whose accounts are domiciled with the bank.
The statement under particulars of fraud is false to the extent that the company is a business partner and customer of the bank and was never referred to in any clause of the letter of offer from the bank dated 4th day of July, 2023 as an on-lending merchant of the Bank.
The letter of offer given by the bank dated 4th July, 2023 to the company for overdraft of N8 billion the purpose of the facility was clearly stated which is to augment the company working capital requirements.
The company utilized the funds borrowed for various business ventures such as property trading, lending to business associates and purchase of company shares.
Following the various business enterprises that the company was involved in,it utilised the overdraft facility and made interest payment to the bank in the sum of N705,825,521.95(Seven Hundred and Five Million Eight Hundred and Twenty five Thousand, Five Hundred and Twenty One Naira, Ninety Five kobo) from January,2023 to January, 2024.
The company denies that the sum of N900,000,000 or any sum at all was fraudulently transferred into or credited into it’s collection account number 3000002010. The company has been denied access to this account since November, 2023 by the bank.
The company have made several unsuccessful attempts to print its statement of account due to the restriction placed on the account by the bank.
Contrary to the deposition of Abigail Madukaife Igwe George Benedict, a staff of the bank, at Zone II Poice Station clearly stated that he carried out the fraud complained of by the bank on 14th November,2023 with the ex-staff of the bank.
Mr. Igwe George Benedict staff of the bank compromised his position which led to the bank debiting N900million with Olayiwola Idris and Chinedu Mba who were former staff of the bank.
The whole transaction was internal affair of the bank.The company was not mentioned by the bank’s staff or its Directors, or Shareholders or any of its staff in his statement.
The statement of Abigail Madukaife is false, that Mr. Idris Olayiwola is the alter-ego of the company, Mr. Idris Olayiwola is not a Director of the company and he is not a shareholder of the company, therefore cannot be the alter-ego of the company.
The statement of Abigail Madukaife in paragraph 4(g) is false as it relates to the company.
The said Olowosile Oluwaseun in his statement at Zone II Police Station did not mention the company in anyway.
The said Olowosile Oluwaseun is not a customer of the company in any of its business activities.
The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) Abuja office not Lagos office invited by a letter dated 5th January,2024 and sent by Courier Service invited the company for certain clarifications on the 18th January, 2024.
The Legal Representative of the company on its behalf was at the EFCC office Abuja to give the officers the true state of the affairs between the bank and the company.
Based on the submissions of the company’s legal representative, the EFCC agreed to review the matter and get back to the company.
Contrary to the statement made in the bank’s affidavit in support of its application the funds in the custody of the banks listed before the court and the company belonging to the company are not proceed of fraud.
In fact the funds mentioned in the account of Samuel Oyeleye Oyesiji was a payment made by the company in the first quarter of year 2023 and not November,2023 when the bank alleged that the fraud took place.
This is also the position of the other accounts listed by the bank, most of the transfers into these accounts were made long before November,2023.
The company did not perpetrate any fraud either alone or in collusion with any other person against the bank or any other person.
Consequently, the Court should vacate the restriction order on the company account and the other account of its directors, as the bank’s application is frivolous and meant to disparage and or damage the reputation and goodwill of the company.
The company is urging the court to vacate the Place No Debit(PND) order placed on the company’s account with the bank and other Respondents as the Place No Debit Order was fraudulently procured from the court by the bank who suppressed material facts from the Court.
The Court should dismiss with costs the prayer of the bank as it is based on total falsehood.
Sometime last year Globus Bank filed similar application before the court seeking an order for recovery of a total sum of N962,019,843.35 fraudulently transferred electronically from its vault into accounts domiciled in eight commercial banks.
The N962,019,843,.35 was part of the total sum of N1,755,376,156.34 transferred from the bank between Monday 6th and Saturday 11th of June 2022.
The bank has already recovered the sum of N817,998,969.85 from the accounts of the fraudsters.
In an affidavit sworn to by the legal officer of the bank then, Kosisochukwu Ngene, Globus bank said fraudsters took advantage of system glitch in its USSD application between Monday 6th and Saturday 11th of June 2022 to process several fraudulent and unauthorized electronic transfer totalling N1,755,376,156.34 (One Billion, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Five Million, Three Hundred and Seventy-Six Thousand, One Hundred Fifty-Six Naira thirty four kobo.
The bank said 709 people who were its customers were involved in the fraudulent transfer of the funds to accounts domiciled in eight commercial banks.
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