N8b Cbn Currency Fraud: Ex-banker Offers To Plea Bargain

SAN FRANCISCO, September 26, (THEWILL) – One of the former commercial bank staff currently standing trial in the N8billion mutilated currency fraud, Ademola Oni, has told a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State that he was prepared to negotiate a plea bargain with the prosecution.

Following the development other accused persons in the charge pleaded with the trial judge to adjourn proceedings till when the plea bargain agreement would have been consummated.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned the matter to 28 September for cross examination and filling of plea bargain agreement.

THEWILL recalls that three employees of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and three staff of Wema Bank, were last year, remanded in Agodi Prison, Ibadan for defrauding the apex bank and Wema Bank Plc to the tune of N4,552,560,380.00( Four Billion, Five Hundred and Fifty-Two Million, Five Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Three Hundred Eighty Hundred Naira only).

The others charged along with Oni are Esther Afolabi, Ademola Ebenezer Adewale and three CBN staff; Kolawole Babalola, Olaniran Muniru Adeola and Toogun Kayode Philip.

The CBN's former employees are accused of being willing accessories to the Wema Bank staff and allegedly aided and abetted them in their crime.

They were alleged to have compromised the CBN's Briquetting exercise by stealing huge sums of mutilated higher denomination Naira currencies meant to be exchanged for new notes.

Story by David Oputah