All persons should be presumed innocent until proved guilty by a court of law ... Dr Akingbola strenuously denies all allegations of wrong doing or improper conduct and has challenged the legal validity of his removal from office as Group Chief Executive of Intercontinental Bank PLC by way of judicial review which will come up at the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court on 14thSeptember 2009.
Former Intercontinental Bank Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Erastus Akingbola has reported to the British Police in London.
His spokesman said yesterday that Akingbola was not evading arrest. He is, however, of the opinion that the arrest of some former bank chiefs is to prevent them from stating their side of the crisis that has swept off five managing directors.
The Central Bank has pumped N420billion into the banks to keep them afloat.
In a statement issued by Suleiman Adefajo, Akingbola’s media aide, in Lagos, he said:
"Dr Erastus Akingbola, Group Chief Executive, and a Director of Intercontinental Bank PLC, President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Pro Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State, Nigeria and the Second Vice President of Nigeria Stock Exchange, wishes to make clear –in light of escalating press speculation – that he is most emphatically not evading arrest by the law enforcement agencies in Nigeria or ‘on the run’.
"He is not guilty of ANY wrong doing but appears targeted for persecution and for character desmirchment. He is currently in the UK.
"Our client believes that the prime objective of detaining all those arrested is to prevent them from presenting their side of the story.
"All persons should be presumed innocent until proved guilty by a court of law. As soon as it was alleged that he was evading arrest, Dr Akingbola notified the UK authorities of his whereabouts and provided full contact details through his legal representatives. Dr Akingbola strenuously denies all allegations of wrong doing or improper conduct and has challenged the legal validity of his removal from office as Group Chief Executive of Intercontinental Bank PLC by way of judicial review which will come up at the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court on 14th September 2009.The proceedings relating to the bail application by the four other bank Chief Executive Officers and other non executive directors of Intercontinental Bank PLC have also been adjourned to the same date.
"All further comments on this matter will await the outcome of the legal suit in order not to prejudice the outcome of the suit."
Eleven bank directors and three stock brokers were arraigned before Justice Dan Abutu of the Federal High Court, who ordered them to be remanded in custody.
They included former Managing Directors of Union Bank, Bartholomew Ebong, Afribank, Sebastian Adigwe, Finbank, Okey Nwosu and Oceanic International Bank, Mrs Cecilia Ibru. Also to be detained are seven non-executive directors of Intercontinental Bank, Raymond Obieri, Hyacinth Enuha, Christopher Adebayo Alabi, Samuel Adegbite, Alhaji Isiaku Umar, Bayo Dada and Elder Sanni Adams.
Others are Henry Oyemem, Niyi Albert Opeodu, Peter Ololo and his company, Falcon Securities Limited.
They were charged with granting N504billion bad loans.
Also yesterday, former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Bola Ajibola called for speedy trial of the sacked five bank chief executive officers (CEO) to give them an opportunity to respond to the allegations against them in the interest of justice and fairplay.
He spoke at the weekend during the Annual Ramadan Lecture of the Muslim Ummah of South-West Nigeria (MUSWEN) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The former Minister of Justice stated that all that have been levied against the bank directors are allegations, stressing that they must be sued to the court so that they could state their own side of the story before any punishment is meted out to them.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
this man is a criminal and all the high fallutin lawyerspeak cannot make hin otherwise.
ReplyDeletehe should come back to nigeria and face the law, by absconding and going on the run he has shown that all the exposure, education and breeding he is supposed to have imbibed by virtue of his his corporate office just washed over him like water on the back of a duck.
he is a common criminal who should be locked up in a dingy jail if found guilty.
if he is innocent he should wait and prove it in court not borrowing leg like a common pickpocket.quoting all his titles and the mien of his or his lawyers speech shows a shocking lack of remorse or shame for what he has done to millions of intecontinental bank depositors, it is deeply distressing that the man does not realise the great responsibility his office placed on him. shame on you erastus