Access Bank's Role In Ibori, Igbinedion Frauds: Aig-Imoukhuede Hits Panic Bottom

SAN FRANCISCO, May 03, (THEWILL) – These are definitely not the best of times for embattled Access Bank Plc and its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede following his alleged role in the financial crimes perpetuated by convicted former governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Nosakhare and his erstwhile Delta State counterpart, Chief James Ibori.

THEWILL gathered from various authoritative sources that Aigboje has sought the assistance of various influential persons to help pacify the Diaspora media, which has relentlessly highlighted his role in facilitating the theft of state owned funds by officials, while he has also met repeatedly with President Goodluck Jonathan’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Mike Ogiadhome to prevail on anti-corruption agencies to thread softly on criminal investigations involving the bank.

A source in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), who is not authorized to speak for the commission confirmed to THEWILL over the weekend that the commission had opened another round of investigations into how Access Bank helped funnel millions of naira from the Delta State government into accounts in Dubai on behalf of Chief James Ibori to fight his extradition to London.

Also recall that the bank via a series of express approvals allegedly obtained from Aigboje aided the former governors in the fraudulent conversion of state owned shares held in the bank into their private assets, while they held were governors.

Access Bank in 2005 also helped Chief James Ibori orchestrate a series of questionable high wire transactions that saw most of Delta State Government 18% shares in then V-Mobile Telecommunications become private assets of Chief James Ibori with the help of his convicted London Lawyer, Mr. Bhadresh Gohil.

Mr. Gohil using a fictitious company called African Development Finance (ADF) had billed the state an over inflated $19m as ‘fees for consultation’ and thereafter transferred same to Access Bank Plc where Chief Ibori was able to access the funds for his private use.

Ibori is on the board of the bank using a relative as proxy.

It is however unclear whether Access Bank and Aigboje, who is due to retire as CEO of the bank in a couple of months would succeed in getting authorities off their backs as those he aided to perfect their crimes have been served justice.

More to follow.