Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos has granted N20 million bail to two Keystone Bank staff members, Ebele Okpala and Perpetua Onyeto, accused of obtaining N35 million fraudulently from a customer’s account.
The duo was arraigned on August 30, 2024, by the Police Special Fraud Unit on five counts of conspiracy, stealing, money laundering, and obtaining by false pretence. They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution alleged that Okpala and Onyeto conspired to lift a lien on a customer’s account and transferred the funds to Okpala’s account. The offences allegedly contravened various sections of the Advance Fee Fraud and other related Offences Act, Criminal Code Act, and Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.
After listening to arguments on their bail applications, Justice Dipeolu granted the defendants bail in the sum of N10 million each with two sureties each in like sum. The sureties must include a landed property owner within the court’s jurisdiction and a Grade Level 16 officer in either Lagos or Federal Government establishment.
The case was adjourned until November 6, 2024, for trial.
