NAN-H-73
Witness
By Veronica Dariya
Abuja, Dec.8, 2016 (NAN) Mrs Ganiat Usman, a witness, on Thursday narrated before an FCT High Court in Kubwa how a suspect, Mrs Remilekun Momoh, used her Unity Bank account to fraudulently divert funds.
Usman was led in evidence by the prosecuting Counsel, I. Deribe.
She said the defendant, who was then her neighbour, coerced her into opening an account with Unity Bank after she was paid two million naira of her late husband’s gratuity.
” She told me that once I opened the account and deposited the two million naira I would get a monthly interest of N39, 000, so I did that.
” In 2014, when my daughter gained school admission, I approached her for N300, 000 and another N300, 000 for my house rent and she gave me.
” But then, she told me that my balance of N1.4 million would only attract a monthly interest of N8, 000.
“That, I collected just twice; once from the ATM and the second time, she gave me by hand.”
The witness said she later told the defendant that she was not interested in the transaction anymore and wanted her money back as a result of which the defendant avoided her for sometime.
However, she said the day the defendant asked her to go to the bank and withdraw the money, she was told there was no money in the account.
” It was the second time she asked me to go that the customer care personnel informed me that I had a balance of N4.5 million.
” So I called her and told her that my balance was showing N4. 5 million instead of N1.4 million and she said that she was aware.
“She said that the money was from a contract she executed.”
The witness further said that the defendant asked her to transfer N680, 000 into a Zenith account of a named Foundation and N300, 000 into the defendant’s son’s account.
She noted that a number of times, the defendant asked her to issue post-dated cheques to her and one time, she collected her ATM card which she used for some days.
The Defendant’s counsel, Mr Lawrence Alabi told the court that he would not be able to cross-examine the witness at that moment.
This, he said was because the prosecuting Counsel tendered an amended copy of the charges to him while the proceeding was going on.
Justice Bello Kawu adjourned further hearing in the case to Jan. 30, 2017.
The defendant, an accountant with a branch of Unity Bank, Abuja, was arraigned by the EFCC and charged with criminally diverting N14. 4 million bank money. (NAN)
DVK/AO/JCE
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Edited by Chukwudi Ekezie