A High Court sitting in Onitsha, Anambra State, has convicted and sentenced a former manager of First City Monument Bank, FCMB, Nwachukwu Placidus, to a cumulative 121 years imprisonment.
Nwachukwu was jailed by Justice S. N. Odili for diverting fixed deposit funds of a customer to the tune of N112,100,000 for his personal use
He was arraigned on 16-count charges bordering on forgery, stealing, obtaining by false pretence and uttering, by the Enugu Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
One of the counts reads: “Nwachukwu Placidus between February 2009 and November 2014 in Onitsha, Anambra State within the jurisdiction of the Anambra State High Court of Nigeria with intent to defraud obtained the sum of (N112,100,000) One Hundred and Twelve Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira only, from Idemili Microfinance Bank under the false pretence that you have placed the said money in a fixed deposit account with First City Monument Bank PLC for it, which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence”.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him, thus setting the stage for his trial.
In the course of trial, the EFCC, through its counsel, Mainforce Ekwu, presented four witnesses and tendered several relevant documents which were admitted in evidence.