SunTrust Bank CEO, Halima Buba, director arraigned over ‘$12m money laundering’

 

Halima Buba, the chief executive officer of SunTrust Bank Nigeria Limited, has been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over alleged fraud.

Buba, alongside the bank’s Executive Director and Chief Compliance Officer, Innocent Mbagwu, were on Friday docked before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja for the alleged crime.

The defendants are being prosecuted on a six-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of $12 million (Twelve Million Dollars).

Count two of the charge reads: “That you, HALIMA BUBA, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer SunTrust Bank Ltd, and INNOCENT MBAGWU being the Executive Director /Chief Compliance Officer SunTrust Bank Ltd on the 10th day of March, 2025 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court aided Femi Gbamgboye to make a cash payment of the sum of Three Million United States Dollars ($3,000,000) to Suleiman Muhammed Chiroma and associates without going through a financial institution and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 2l(a), 2(1), 19(l)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 19 (2) (b) of the same Act.”

Count three reads: “That you, HALIMA BUBA, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of SunTrust Bank Ltd and INNOCENT MBAGWU, the Executive Director/Chief Compliance Officer of SunTrust Bank Ltd on the 13th day of March, 2025 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to make a cash payment of the sum of Three Million United States Dollars ($3,000,000) to Mukhtar Miko an associate of Suleiman Muhammed Chiroma without going through a financial institution and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 2l(a), 2(1), 19(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 19 (2) (b) of the same Act.”

They pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges when they were read to them, following which the lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, announced the readiness of the prosecution to proceed with the trial and prayed for accelerated hearing of the case.

The defence counsel, J.J. Usman, SAN, on his part, reminded the court of subsisting bail applications of the defendants, dated May 27, 2025, and prayed that the court should uphold the applications and admit the defendants to bail.

The prosecution counsel, in his response, described the May 27, 2025 bail application of the defendants as incompetent, given that the defendants were neither under arrest, nor in detention, nor had appeared before the court — being the grounds provided by the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA — that should precipitate a bail application. He noted that the application was made “from the comfort of their homes or offices” when no action had been taken against them. He therefore prayed the court to discountenance the said bail application and urged the defendants to make fresh bail applications in court.

While the position of the prosecution met opposition from the defence, Justice Nwite, however, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N100 million (One Hundred Million Naira) each, as well as one surety each in like sum. The sureties, he held, must have landed properties in Abuja, the particulars of which must be deposited with the court. The sureties are also to deposit their passports and two recent passport photographs with the court. In addition, all the documents the sureties provided, including their residences, must be verified by the court before approval.

He ordered that they should be remanded in a correctional facility pending the fulfilment of their bail conditions and adjourned the matter till July 17 and 18 for continuation of trial.