Three men have been dragged before the Federal High Court, Lagos for allegedly hacking the computer network of Union Bank of Nigeria Limited and stealing N1,403,343,400.00.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the suspects on Monday.
The first to third defendants are Ismaila Yousuf Atumeyi, Ngene Joshua Dominic and Abdulmalik Salau.
Atumeyi is the Kogi State House of Assembly candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), for the Ankpa 11 Constituency.
The EFCC, through its counsel Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, preferred an 18-count charge bordering on concealment of proceeds of fraud, money laundering and cybercrime against the defendants before Justice Tijjani Ringim.
The defendants were alleged to have hacked into the system of the commercial bank and defrauded the institution of over N1.4billion.
The court heard that they carried out a “modification of data held in the network of the bank, leading to the fraudulent transfer of the total sum of N1,403,343,400 to the account of FAV OIL AND GAS LIMITED.”
The agency allegedly recovered N326million and $140,500 from the black Escalade Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) of one of the defendants during an operation at his hideout in Queens Estate, Gwarinpa.
Oyedepo told the court in a charge numbered FHC/L/651C/2022, that the defendants committed the alleged offences between August and October 2022 in Lagos.
He said they conspired to “directly conceal” the N1.4billion in the account of Fav Oil and Gas Limited, “which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18 (a), 15 (2) (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
The defendants were accused of laundering the sum in tranches of N100million, $480,000, N12.5million, N7million, N9million, N7m, N12m, N8m, $140,000 and N326,400,000.
Specifically, they were alleged to have acquired a N12.5m black Mercedes Benz C300, N7m BMW 3 Series, N9million Black Range Rover, N7m Toyota Hilux 2014 upgraded to 2021, N12m Black BMW SURXI 2016, a N8m White Toyota Hilux 2010 and a N10million White Toyota Hilux.
The court also heard that they allegedly directly transferred N80million to Frank Maya Integrated Ventures, acquired a property known as No.8, Grace Crescent, EFAB Queens Estate, Gwarinpa, Abuja, concealed $140,000 and N326,400,000 in a Black Escalade SUV.
Oyedepo, who prayed for an accelerated hearing of the case, said the anti-graft agency intends to call six witnesses against the defendants.
Each defendant pleaded not guilty.
