Court orders GTBank to refund N4.6 million, $3,000 illegal debits to customer
The Federal Capital Territory High Court has ordered Guaranty Trust Bank Plc to reverse funds illegally deducted from the account of one of its customers, Universal Agricultural Empowerment and Development Initiative (UNAEDI).
In his ruling on September 25 in suit No. FCT/HC/CV/2306/2017, Justice O.O. Goodluck ordered the bank to refund N412,000, $3,123.16 and N4,224,259 to the company’s account.
The monies were deductions from the customers’ account between March 9 and April 20, 2016 after the bank, on November 13, 2015, placed a lien on the account, which the court also declared illegal.
In his statement of claims, Samuel Irabo who is the counsel to UNAEDI and Mr Williams, asked the court to determine if GTBank has the right to unilaterally flag some transaction as ‘fraudulent’ after deducting bank charges from it.
On March 9, 2016, he said the representative of his clients, Mr Williams, received several alerts on his mobile telephone in respect of various debits to the account by the bank.
He said the debits totaling about N412,000, included N3,000 at about 7.47 p.m, and N6,000, N100,000 and N200,000, all at about 7.48 p.m.
He said by the mail, the fraud desk of Heritage Bank Limited was alerted that transactions supposedly between his clients and one Adebola Olu Ogundeko were fraudulent.
In addition, he said similar notifications were sent to First Bank, Zenith Bank, Diamond Bank, Access Bank and Sterling Bank where his clients also has accounts.
Apart from the above, the lawyer said GTBank also refused to honour two cheques issued by his clients in favour of different persons without due explanation.
Other demands included general damages of N1 billion for defamation, libellous publication and breach of banker-customer relationship by GTBank.
In his counter-claims filed in its statement of claims, GTBank, through its counsel, Ogunmuyiwa Balogun, admitted all the allegations against his client.
Mr Balogun, however, faulted the suit by Mr Williams against GTBank, saying there was no evidence to show that he has any contractual relationship with his client.
He said that in as much as Mr Williams was the “initiator” or “facilitator” of UNAEDI, his role was at best that of an agent, which has no right to sue the bank.
Source : Premium Times
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