Unit(NFIU) has beamed its searchlight on four Nigerian banks namely Standard
Chartered bank, Skye bank, Unity bank and Keystone bank over the funding of
terrorism activities by Islamic sects via Zakat and donations.
Speaking to a source in NFIU who rather will not want his
name in print, these banks have links or ties with Islamic organisations and
are therefore the first set of banks to be scrutinised by the NFIU. According
to him, “if you recall, Standard Chartered bank was sanctioned in
money laundering activities with Iran in the United States of America ( USA )
recently.
“The banks were accused of leaving the United States
“vulnerable to terrorists, weapon dealers, drug kingpins and corrupt
regimes” by hiding $250bn of transactions with Iran .”
On Keystone and Unity banks, he said, “these are banks
with Islamic links in their ownership and origin and we are not leaving any
stone unturned in our investigations.”
“So, with the recent suspicion of financial aids coming
to the militant sect Boko Haram in Nigeria , we are definitely looking at the
activities of these banks.”
Responding via text message, Skye bank through its spokesman,
Mr. Moses Obajemu stated that, “the process involved in cross border forex
trade is complex. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Financial Intelligence
Unit(FIU), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Nigeria Deposit
Insurance Corporation(NDIC) are all involved.
“None of them has found Skye bank wanting in its foreign
exchange trade. Besides, we have no business relationship with terrorists.”
Responding in similar vein, the spokesman of Standard
Chartered bank, Mr. Diran Olojo refuted the claim that the bank was under the
searchlight following its money laundering case with the Islamic Republic of
Iran.
“It is absolutely false that we are being investigated
by the NFIU, it is not true,”he said
Source; Nigerian News Direct
