Mr Adejare Sonde: accused of stealing N124 million

The Ibadan Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a banker in court over alleged stealing.

The suspect, Mr Adejare Sonde,  was on Monday brought before Justice A. A. Akinyemi of the Ogun State High Court sitting in Abeokuta  for allegedly stealing N124 million.

A statement issued on Monday by Mr Ayo Oyewole, Head, Public Affairs, EFCC Ibadan Zonal Office, said  Sonde was arraigned on a 12-count charge bordering on stealing, forgery and uttering.

“Sonde was arraigned following a petition from a Regional Compliance Head of one of the new generation banks.

“It was alleged that  Adejare Sonde, while still a staff of the bank and also an account officer of a Microfinance bank, suppressed and diverted the sum of N124,000,000.00, property of the Microfinance bank.

“The petitioner explained that Sonde as account officer allegedly collected cash from the microfinance bank on several occasions totalling N124 million which was not credited into the customer’s account.

“Further investigations revealed that the defendant allegedly doctored emails which he sent to the microfinance bank as monthly statements of account;  meanwhile there was no remit in the account, ’’ the statement said.

The defendant, according to the statement, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him before Justice Akinyemi.

“In view of his plea, prosecution counsel, Mr Cosmos Ugwu, prayed the court for a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant in prison custody.

“The defence counsel, Mr E. E. Jacob, told the court that he had already filed a bail application and thereafter prayed the court to allow the defendant remain in  EFCC custody  pending the hearing of the application.

“The judge granted the defence prayer and ordered that the defendant to be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending hearing of bail application,” the statement said.

Akinyemi adjourned the case till Feb. 16  for trial and hearing of bail application.