By Abu Bakarr Kargbo
Instead of responding to the allegation that the sum of Le40 Billion was defrauded by some key financial staff of the bank in connivance with Faiad Hejazi, who described himself as a businessman for years, the bank manager focused his attention to know how the information was obtained by this medium and tried to down play it by discrediting it as untrue.
He did not state when Faiad Hejazi as a customer of the bank opened an account with the bank, but sources close to the bank have explained that he opened an account with the Guaranty Trust Bank as a customer doing import and export business. Sometimes he asked for loan and other time he would asked for deferred repayment on his loan. The account has remained active for years withdrawing and making cash and cheque deposits into the account. The Guaranty Trust Bank is not the only bank that Faiad Hejazi has a current account. In some of the banks he has more than a savings or current accounts, but the Guaranty Trust Bank is one soft spot for Faiad Hejazi that he can easily manipulate and penetrate his activities that are akin to criminality without been easily caught. Time proves him right when he infiltrated the bank after establishing close and easily penetrable contacts with some key officials of the bank who are Nigerians that can accomplish any level and grade of assignment. For quite some time now the recycling and unlawful withdrawals of cash have been going on with relative ease. at the Guaranty Trust Bank, until when it became public knowledge that the withdrawals of money Hejazi and his team have been engaged in was illegal and not to the knowledge of the bank. It was a fraudulent exercise the individuals have been engaged in over the past couple of months. Investigators at the ACC digging and diving into this huge fraud may have come to the conclusion that such level of theft cannot be done without the knowledge of the top echelon of the administration of the bank, therefore the ACC may be thinking of bringing in the Managing Director of the bank anytime for now for what they describe as poor supervision and negligence.
What the investigators may be thinking about is whether or not Mr. Ade Adebiyi, the bank’s Managing Director is involved in what could be said in another interpretation as a syndicate operating in the bank. However, that would be made clear when the Managing Director of the bank is drag into the investigation. Sources close to him have alleged that he may clear the bank of any fraud or be considered as part of the syndicate based on his defence to the investigators that is exploiting the bank of its resources during his administration. Hejazi was granted a Five Hundred Million bail by the ACC. His friend, a fullah businessman residing at Edwards Street submitted his house conveyance worth over Five Hundred Million Leones to the ACC before his release for temporal freedom. The matter is receiving attention at the moment from the ACC.
