N40 Billion Fraud Claim: UBA Chairman, Tony Elumelu Issues Senator 7 Days Ultimatum to Withdraw Statement or….
Moses Oba
Africa’s global bank UBA Plc has reacted to claims made by the chairman Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Senator Ayo Akinyelure alleging the bank’s involvement and the indictment of its chairman Tony Elumelu in a N41 billion fraud at the liquidated NITEL
The Bank and its Chairman through its lawyers demanded a public apology and retraction of the claim within seven days of receipt of the letter or face legal action.
Senator Akinyelure alleged the amount was withdrawn “systematically from NITEL for nine years” under the leadership of the UBA.
According to the lawyers
“Our Client is shocked by this false, baseless, and mischievous allegation as neither him nor any of the organisations associated with him has ever been involved in or indicted for any fraud as was falsely alleged by Senator Ayo Akinyelure,” the letter by Elumelu’s lawyers read.
“Our Client is also alarmed and appalled by this deliberate peddling of falsehood and misinformation against an unblemished personal and business reputation, painstakingly built by our Client over several decades with great personal sacrifice and unquestionable integrity.
“Our Client has instructed us to, and we have demanded an immediate open, public and unreserved retraction of the said statements credited to Senator Akinyelure and an apology from Senator Akinyelure for this false allegation and defamation of our Client,”
The Senator is yet to react to the ultimatum to the allegations.
UBA stated that the case in question is currently before the Supreme Court of Nigeria and wonders why the Senator is bent as passing judgement on a case before the apex court