Many legal battles of Access Bank, MD Wigwe

Indications have emerged that Access Bank and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) may settle out of court allegations of stealing and Advanced Fee Fraud (419) levelled against the bank’s Managing Director, Herbert Wigwe.

The indications followed the directive of Justice N. I. Agbelu of the Ogun State High Court for adjournment of the matter till June 18, 2019, for argument on issues of jurisdiction and out of court settlement.

Justice Agbelu arrived at the decision after listening to Daniel Apochi, the police prosecutor, and lawyers to the defendants led by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Paul Usoro (SAN).

The matter titled with charge No. HCS/OIC/2019, is between the Commissioner of Police in Ogun State on the one hand, and Herbert Wigwe, Managing Director of Access Bank, Alawode Oluseye, Bayo Adesina and Access Bank on the other.

The defendants were charged with a 21-count charge bordering on stealing, advance fee fraud, forgery of bill of lading, among others.

It would be recalled that the matter is one of the two criminal matters in court that a former Petroleum Minister, Chief Don Etiebet, argued at a Federal High Court in Lagos, where he instituted legal action calling for revocation of the recent acquisition of Diamond Bank by Access Bank.

In a related development, Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, will on June 3, 2019, hear application challenging the fraud charge slammed on Mr. Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director of Access Bank, and eight others.

Mr. Wigwe was charged alongside Cast Oil and Gas Limited, Seyi Sanni, Adekunle Adebayo, Access Bank, Titi Oshontoki, Chinyere Bishop-Adigwe, Sunny Offiong and Augusta Energy Nigeria Limited by the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU).

They were slammed with a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to obtain money by false pretense and stealing.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Thursday before Justice Oshodi, only two defendants: Access Bank and Sunny Offiong, were present.

Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), the defence counsel for Access Bank, informed the court that he had filed a preliminary objection challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case.