Olukoyede, chairman of the EFCC, admonished bank compliance officials against illegal disclosure of investigation activities to consumers, emphasising the necessity of maintaining confidentiality.
Mr. Ola Olukoyede, Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), urged bank compliance officers across the country on Saturday to refrain from unauthorised disclosure of the EFCC’s investigation activities and requests from banks to their clients.
Olukoyede, in a statement issued in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, lamented the unhealthy assistance criminals receive from Nigeria’s banking sector.
Oyewale noted that it presents significant issues and concerns to the commission. The EFCC chairman made the call through the Acting Zonal Director of the agency’s Ibadan Zonal Command, Hauwa Garba Ringim, at a stakeholders’ meeting with bank compliance officers in Oyo State.#He stated, “
The EFCC is aware that compliance officers provide information to their clients regarding “letters of investigative activities” written to banks by the EFCC.
“The act usually jeopardises the investigation exercise of financial crimes and delays corruption cases from being filed before the law court.”
Olukoyede also encouraged them to always respond to letters received from the commission with certified true copies, including beneficiary or source transaction instruments, in order to expedite the investigative process to a logical end.
The EFCC boss stated that unlawful activities and naira trading with point-of-sale operators must be stopped.
What we’ve noticed and seen recently is that Nigerians can only withdraw a limited amount of money from banks using Automated Teller Machines, but POS operators walk around with large sums of money obtained from banks.
This is unfair to Nigerians, and we must confront it head on,” he said. He did, however, assure the compliance officers that the commission will always assist them, as “they remain relevant stakeholders in the fight against economic and financial crimes.”