Another managing director of a bank may join his colleagues from Fidelity Bank and Access Bank as guest of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) if feelers from the anti-corruption agency are to be believed.
Already, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director of Access Bank and Mr. Nnamdi Okonkowo, Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, had been picked and quizzed by EFCC over an alleged $115 million received from Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum in the run up to last year’s general elections. Both were strongly fingered in the Diezani cash deposit which was allegedly wired to some INEC officials and politicians to ostensibly secure victory for the PDP in the polls.
The anti-graft agency, which has been carrying out investigations on alleged abuse of funds under the last administration, extended its dragnet to the banking sector recently and the result, according to an operative of the Commission, has been revealing.
“The two bank MDs are cooperating and they have given useful information including the various roles played by their banks and some staff in the money transfer. The investigation has opened new vistas and another bank MD may be invited by the EFCC to clarify the role played by his bank very soon”, our source said.
Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director of the bank, was picked by EFCC operatives on Friday which means he may spend the weekend in detention. Earlier, EFCC arrested Nnamdi Okonkowo, Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, over the controversial $115 million received from Diezani. The bank was accused of not reporting the transaction to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) as required by law, but Fidelity Bank in a swift reaction denied the allegation, saying they played by the rules of banking in the transaction.
