The management of Wema Bank Plc has described media reports on money laundering and bribery allegations against its member of staff and a certain bank customer as malicious and misleading.
This is coming just as a Lagos Magistrates Court, sitting in Ogba, Ikeja, struck out the money laundering and bribery allegations’ charges against the Managing Director of Shibahwells Energy, Isaac Adewole, and a Wema Bank staff, Kingsley Ananwude for lack of merit.
Debunking the allegations in a statement signed by its Head of Corporate Communications, Funmilayo Falola, Wema Bank noted that its attention has been drawn to recent media reports on money laundering and bribery allegations on certain customer’s transaction.
It lamented that the publication went ahead to mention the names of certain Wema Bank management staff to be allegedly involved in the said transaction.
The statement stated that: “The Bank wishes to state categorically that there is no merit in the article, and it is a malicious publication against members of our staff and the Bank’s customer.”
The Bank, according to the statement, also claimed that the allegations were being peddled by an aggrieved 3rd party, Timi Popoola.
It added that Mr. Popoola had voluntarily released his property as part of a collateral to secure a loan obtained by the Bank’s Customer.
It explained that: “specifically, on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, the case No. MIK/B/6/2022 Commissioner of Police vs. Adewole Isaac & Kingsley Ananwude, for alleged stealing and money laundering involving about 1.7-billion-Naira was struck out by Magistrate A.O. Layinka (Mrs.) of the Magistrates Court, sitting in Ogba, Ikeja.
“The defendants were also discharged, following a legal advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Lagos State, insisting no prima facie case has been established against the defendants.
“We urged the general public to ignore the false information being circulated. The Bank has already engaged its solicitors to institute appropriate legal action,” the bank concluded.
