By Amos Tauna, Kaduna
A strong worded petition has been written by a corporate client of the Union Bank, Swiss International Beland Hotel to the police, alleging fraudulent deductions, deactivation of an email and unauthorised transactions on its accounts domiciled in the bank.
In a petition dated June 30, 2023 and by F.S. Abah & Associates to the Inspector General of Police, stated that their services have been retained by Swiss International Beland Hotel Owerri Limited, Owerri, Imo State (hereinafter referred to as their Client) on whose instructions and authority they make the correspondence.
According to the petition, “Our client’s case is the recent discovery of monumental and unauthorised fraudulent deductions plus disregard for clear instructions noticed in its accounts domiciled with Union Bank Plc.”
Narrating the ordeal of his clients that started on 3rd April, 2023, The petition, while narrating the ordeal of his clients that started on 3rd April, 2023 explained that their client (through its MD) authorised the transfer of the sum of three million Naira (N3,000,000.00) from account N0 0043302737 to 0175628266 meant for the urgent purchase of items for the running of the hotel, saying that the instruction was never carried out by the bank as the refusal to honour an express instruction left their client in great strait and the operations of the hotel were practically brought to a halt.
It added that on April 7th, 2023, their client, (through its MD) gave another authorisation for the transfer of the sum of three million Naira (N3,000,000.00) from a/c 0171900126 to a/c 0175628266, stressing that it was in preparation for a mega Easter event at the hotel but the bank refused and or neglected to honour this instruction, thereby leading to monumental loss of business and customers to their clients as their client could not meet up with its obligations to its customers.
“Deduction of the sum of six million Naira (N6,000,000.00), according to the petition from account 0171900126, their client noticed that the above sum was deducted from the above account despite the bank’s failure to honour its two previous authorisations as their client never authorized the removal of the money.
It said that the deduction of the sum of twenty-five million Naira (N25, 000,000.00) from account N0. 0043302737, their client is in receipt of a debit alert for the sum of twenty-five million Naira (N25,000,000.00) from the above account, describing it as a fraudulent transaction which was never authorised by their client.
On noticing the above infractions and fraud by the bank, it said they wrote a letter of complaint to the bank on the 11th of April 2023. On the 19th of April 2023, the sum of six million Naira (N6,000,000.00) from account 0171900126 was reversed and returned to our client’s account, pointing out that on the 29th of April 2023, their client received a credit alerts for the sum of eighty-four million, forty nine thousand, three hundred and sixty five Naira, ninety two Kobo (N89,049,365.92) into its account N0 0043302737 and the said money was removed/deducted after some few minutes.
In continuation of their illicit and illegal activities despite a clear instruction from the client for them to stay transactions especially on account N0 0043302737, the bank has continued to carry out questionable and illicit transactions on the said account.
Thei client, the petition said discovered that the email connected to its bank transactions with the bank has been deactivated without its consent, saying that it was their client’s firm belief that it is an attempt to cover up the fraud being perpetuated on its accounts and prevent him from being notified on time as their client never at any material time instructed that its email be deactivated.
