The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned two bankers at a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on a four count charge bordering on non-disclosure of a customer’s address owing to their failure to fully apply the mandatory Know-Your-Customer directive before opening an account for the customer.
The bankers, Mrs. Makanjuola Feyisayo and Kanu-Okoro Ugonna, were arraigned before Justice Akanbi.
While taking their pleas, the accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The defence team, led by I.B. Atiyegoba, immediately applied for bail for the accused persons.
The prosecuting counsel, A. A. Arimoro, did not object.
The presiding judge granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N500,000 each and one surety in like sum.
The case has been adjourned to May 2, 2012 for commencement of trial.
The two bankers ran into trouble when a petitioner alleged that one Yusuf Sunday Alibi defrauded him to the tune of N2,440,000.
He further added that he paid the said amount in five instalments into the bank account of the said Alibi who is presently at large, and all effort to locate him proved abortive because the address he filled in his account opening document was conjured and therefore could not be traced.
The bankers failed in their duty to enforce the KYC directive by not requesting for a recent utility bill from the run-away Alabi before opening the account for him.