Heritage Bank Reacts to Report Claiming Staff Stole N49 Billion and Disappeared
- Heritage Bank has dismissed allegations of diversion of funds by a staff member, as reported by online media
- The defamatory report claims the sum of N49 billion of customers' funds was diverted
- The bank's management said the article used unrelated facts and conjecture to create a fictitious narrative
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The allegations of fund diversion by staff members, as reported online, have been firmly denied by the executive management of Heritage Bank Plc, who categorize these claims as “wrong and defamatory”.
It would be recalled that an online news platform had last week raised an alarm claiming that Heritage Bank’s Head of IT diverted N49 billion into separate accounts and has soon disappeared.
The allegations since sparked concern among the bank's customers, some of which attempted to withdraw their monies in the case of a sudden crash.
Source: UGC
Heritage Bank dismisses reports of fund diversion
After being silent on the allegations for days, the management of Heritage Bank has finally reacted to the unconfirmed reports.
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According to a press statement issued to The Nation, Heritage Bank Plc has clarified that no occurrence of fund diversion involving any staff member.
It said:
It has come to our attention that articles have been published by certain media platforms, making allegations of diversion of funds. No funds were diverted by any member of staff.
These allegations are wrong and defamatory. These articles have used unrelated facts and conjecture to create a fictitious narrative.
The bank stated that it has recently initiated the execution of its comprehensive sustainability plans, focused on restructuring the bank, optimizing cost efficiency, and effectively managing its assets and resources.
It added in the statement that its decision to reduce its workforce was necessary to enhance progress towards achieving growth targets and ensuring the provision of exceptional financial services to our valued customers.
These measures, the bank said, were aim to restore the financial institution to a favorable state in the long term.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently approved the appointment of Akinola George-Taylor as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Bank.
The apex bank’s approval came six months after the bank appointed George-Taylor as acting managing director following the retirement of Ifie Sekibo.
Globus Bank Loses Customers’ N1.7bn to Hackers
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Globus Bank Limited encountered a significant setback when cybercriminals exploited a system glitch and withdrew customers' funds totaling N1.755 billion.
Legal documents submitted by the bank in a Lagos high court state that the fraudulent transfers occurred through the bank's USSD channel, taking advantage of a technical issue.
An affidavit, sworn by the bank's legal officer, Kosisochukwu Ngene, disclosed that the unauthorized electronic transfers transpired between Monday, June 6, and Saturday, June 11, 2022.
Taking swift action, Globus Bank promptly pursued legal measures and obtained a court order from the Magistrate Court in the Yaba Magisterial District to freeze and reverse the fraudulently transferred sums.
Source: Legit.ng
