Banks, Keep our investigation confidential – EFCC
Ola Olukoyede, the executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) has called on compliance officers of banks in the country to desist from unauthorized disclosure of the anti-graft agency’s investigation activities and request from banks to their customers.
“The EFCC is aware of the fact that Compliance Officers give information to their clients regarding ‘letters of investigation activities’ written to the banks from the EFCC,” Dele Oyewale, EFCC’s of head, media & publicity said.
“The act usually jeopardizes the investigation exercise of financial crimes and delays corruption cases from being filed before the law court.”
Olukoyede made the call through the Acting Zonal Director of the Ibadan Zonal Command of the EFCC, ACE I Hauwa Garba Ringim during a stakeholders’ meeting with Compliance Officers of Banks in Oyo State.
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He decried the unhealthy support fraudsters receive from the banking sector in Nigeria, stressing that it is posing considerable challenges and concerns to the Commission.
The EFCC’s boss also urged the banks to always respond to letters received from the Commission with certified true copies including instruments of transactions of beneficiaries or sources, as this will expedite processes of investigation to a logical conclusion.
He also stated that illegal dealings and trading in naira with the Point-of-sale (POS) operators must stop.
“What we notice and see around lately is that Nigerians can only withdraw a small amount of their money with the banks in Automated Teller Machine (ATMs) but POS operators evidently go around with huge amounts of money getting from the banks. This is not fair to Nigerians and we must fight it head-on”, he said.
He assured the Compliance Officers of the Commission’s support at all times, as “they remain relevant stakeholders in the fight against economic and financial crimes”.
Reacting to the fundamental issues raised at the meeting, Compliance Officers assured the EFCC of their unwavering support, stressing that they are committed to new dynamics on how the collaborative efforts between the Commission and the banks would be effective.
