‘Misinterpretation’ We didn’t transfer ₦573 million to Pastor Omale account, FCMB clarifies

The internet has been awash recently with the probes ongoing in the Buhari-led government and one that specially got Nigerians worried was that of a new generation bank, First City Monument Bank, FCMB, whose managing director, Adam Nuru, claimed the bank mistakenly transferred a sum of N573 million to Pastor Emmanuel Omale.

Recall that the Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets (PCARA) had accused the embattled suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu of allegedly using Omale, founder of the Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry, who is also the former’s associate, to launder funds abroad.

The committee headed by retired Justice Ayo Salami said the former acting chairman purchased a property worth N573 million in Dubai using Omale’s name — an allegation the pastor denied.

The bank, through a release by the Group Head, Corporate Affairs, Diran Olojo, and seen by Freelanews, claimed the MD was misinterpreted and no such amount ever entered the Omale’s account.

“Our attention has been drawn to widely circulating stories incorrectly stating that our Managing Director, during a recent presidential hearing in Abuja, testified that the bank mistakenly transferred N573m to the account of a church and the said error was not discovered for 4 years. We feel it is in the public interest to state emphatically that there was no transfer of N573m into this account, mistakenly or otherwise.

“To provide further clarity, during a maintenance upgrade of our systems in 2016, a defective file led to the aggregation of multiple unrelated entries into a single balance under the affected customer’s name in one of our reports. This aggregation occurred only in the weekly automated report to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit. It had no effect on any customer account balance or statements and therefore was not immediately identified. Our Managing Director clarified to the Presidential panel that the system generated report was incorrect and that there was no mistaken transfer of N573 million. He also submitted comprehensive documentary evidence to this effect.

“We appreciate that comments may have been misconstrued and therefore believe it is important to emphatically clarify the position that there was no mistaken transfer whatsoever, as stated above. FCMB continues to fully cooperate with the panel, and has been entirely transparent in its reporting. We remain committed to ethical and professional conduct at all times,” Olojo wrote.

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