Daud Olatunji
In a developing story, Titan Trust Bank (TTB) Chairman, Mr Tunde Lemo, and two major foreign investors, Cornelius Vink and Rahul Savara, risk losing their shares in TTB and Union Bank (UBN) if they fail to attend an interrogation by the Central Bank of Nigeria Special Investigator, Mr Jim Obazee, scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
A letter from the Special Investigator’s office, dated December 27, sternly warned Lemo, Vink, and Savara to attend the meeting or face the initiation of processes to confiscate their shares in TTB and UBN.
This follows a request from the law firm of G. Elias, representing TTB and UBN, to postpone the meeting to the second week of January 2024, citing the unavailability of the individuals.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the Special Investigator rejected the excuse, accusing Lemo of obstructing the investigation and highlighting that none of the requested documents had been submitted by the trio.
The letter emphasized that physical presence at the meeting was mandatory, rejecting the submission of documents by proxy.
Lemo, who defended the acquisition of Union Bank, has been summoned for further questioning along with foreign directors Vink and Savara.
The Special Investigator accuses Lemo of an “offensive defense” contradicting earlier statements made under caution during the investigation.
A coalition of 259 anti-corruption, civil society, and human rights groups, named Coalition for Transparency and Economic Reforms (COTER), urged President Bola Tinubu not to let the matter be swept under the carpet. COTER called for the recovery of stolen funds and properties, emphasizing the need for immediate trial for all indicted persons.
The President was warned not to disregard the defence presented by the accused individuals, as the public and international community closely monitor the investigation’s outcome.
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