Former bank manager bags 121-year sentence over fraud

Former First City Monument Bank manager Nwachukwu Placidus has been sentenced to 121 years in jail by Justice S. N. Odili of the Anambra State High Court in Onitsha, Anambra State.

Placidus was found guilty of stealing N112,100,000 from a customer’s fixed deposit funds for personal benefit.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Enugu Zonal Command, arraigned Placidus on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, on 16 counts of forgery, stealing, obtaining by false pretence, and uttering.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission made the announcement in a statement posted on its Facebook page on Saturday.

According to the statement, the ex-manager, Placidus pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him.

The statement read, “Justice S. N. Odili of the Anambra State High Court sitting in Onitsha, Anambra State, has convicted and sentenced a former manager with First City Monument Bank, FCMB, Onitsha branch, Nwachukwu Placidus, to a cumulative 121 years imprisonment for diverting fixed deposit funds of a customer to the tune of N112,100,000 for his personal use.

“In the course of trial, the EFCC, through its counsel, Mainforce Adaka Ekwu, presented four witnesses and tendered several relevant documents, which were admitted as evidence.

“Justice Odili held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced the convict to nine years imprisonment on count 3, four years on count 4, and nine years on counts 5 to 16, respectively, but was discharged on counts 1 and 2. The sentences shall run concurrently.

“The court further ordered the convict to restitute the said sum to his victim, Idemili Microfinance Bank.”

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