Skye Bank Plc, National Enquirer
gathered reliably is facing one of the toughest fraud cases of all time, a
whopping N7billion suit preferred against it by one of its clients, Jorotom
International Agency Nigeria Limited.
According to the statement of
claims, the plaintiffs-Jorotom and its subsidiary, National Clearing and
Forwarding Agency are alleging fraud, excess charges, greed, high handedness,
betrayer and large scale scam on the part of Timothy Oguntayo-led bank and has
since sought a legal redress to get its pound of flesh as a result of the
monumental racket the bank has perpetrated.
Tracing the genesis of the chumming
business relationship that later went sour, we gathered that, the managing
director of the international agency, Jorotom, Snr. Evangelist John Omotosho had
approached the management of Skye Bank in his bid to acquire one of the multi-billion
Naira federal government agencies, National Clearing and Forwarding Agency,
NACFA when it was declared to be sold years back.
We were reliably informed that,
Skye Bank, as the financier had injected a whopping N3.6billion into the acquisition
with a view to supporting Jorotom’s vision and later get its investment back
through a mutual conformity and business co operation both parties had agreed.
Informed sources disclosed to
this office that, no sooner the company commenced business than Skye bank moved
in by forcefully demanded that, some of its top staffers be drafted on the
company’s (NAFCA) board as directors and not just that, they were planted in
strategic positions to run the affirs directly.
Quoting the court papers made
available to National Enquirer, “the agents/staff of Skye Bank which were
drafted to NAFCA as directors and the offices they held are: Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti (Chairman), Olorunfemi
Peter (Executive Director) and Bayo Sarunmi (Finance Director) respectively. These
top echelon of Skye Bank which include the immediate past managing director
were forcefully planted to run the day to day affairs of the company including
receiving and disbursing of funds in a bid to equip their money by fire by
force.
We were told that, in its process
of running the company, Skye Bank via its agents was excessively charging the
company aside other frivolous spending that almost dwindle its fortune. Sad enough
is the fact that, the bank later withdrew its agents and declared the firm
unfit to pay its bills, thereby inviting the Asset Corporation of Nigeria-AMCON,
another federal government agency created as a key stabilizing and
re-vitalizing tool to revive the financial system by efficiently resolving the non-performing
loan assets of the banks in the Nigerian economy to take over.
All efforts by Jorotom
International agency’s management to resolve the matter amicably via its
auditors, Biyi Adeniran & Co. were futile as even when the auditors detected
a large scale fraud, Skye Bank was so adamant in offering the company for AMCON
in order to safe its face.
There are other damaging expose which
the auditors, Biyi Adeniran uncovered against Skye Bank, all these are what the
Plaintiff, Jorotom International agency is relying on to prosecute its case and
its team of lawyers have promised to make the full report of the large scale fraud
against Skye Bank available to this office as events unfold in court.
Efforts to reach those in the corporate
affairs department of the bank proved abortive as at the time of filing this
report.
Jite Usman
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