By Davidson Iriekpen
Personal physician to the former managing director/ chief executive officer of Oceanic International Bank Plc, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, Brigadier-General Oviemo Ovadje (rtd), has denied claims that the credit facilities he obtained from both the bank and Oceanic Saving and Loans Limited were non-performing.
He debunked the claim of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that the facilities were non-performing, adding that the two institutions were yet to declared the facilities non-performing.
The anti-graft commission had in one of the affidavits sworn to by one of its officers, Aliyu Wali, disclosed that Ovadje applied for and was granted a loan by Ocean Bank under Mrs. Ibru in 2007 and that same was non-performing, adding that in order to mask the nature of the loan and its non-performance, it was passed to a subsidiary of the bank, Oceanic Homes Saving and Loans Limited where the accused person was the chairman. EFCC further alleged that Ovadje’s non-performing loan was N442.9million.
But Ovadje, in an affidavit of rebuttal sworn to at a Federal High Court in Lagos and made available to THISDAY, said after his retirement from military service, he engaged in full medical practice in addition to property development business for which purpose he applied for credit facilities at various times from the bank.
He revealed that before he obtained the credit facilities, he duly applied and faced series of interviews and negotiations and paid all fees upfront and deposited the Certificate of Occupancy of his property with the bank as collateral and also met other requirements.
The renowned medical practitioner argued that contrary to the insinuation in the affidavit deposed to by Aliyu Wali, the former bank boss at the time, did not influence the waiver of any obligation on his part, neither was any waiver granted to him.
Submitting that he has all the necessary papers to back his claim, he disclosed that as at today, he the true record of his transactions with the bank were available with the bank and accessible to the anti-graft commission, regretting that Wali chose to depose to facts that were contrary to the truth.
According to him, as at today, he has paid a total sum of N424million, leaving a balance of about N57million for him to liquidate the actual loan granted him and at the same time negotiating payment of interest.
Ovadje argued that in view of the deposition of the EFCC that he was one of the beneficiaries of economic crime of granting loans contrary to law, he was aware that Mrs. Ibru is undergoing trial in court but he has not been linked with any of the offences she was accused of, neither has he been questioned or invited with regard to the charges.
He stated that the total amount of loan given to him by the bank under three separate transactions was N482million, adding that in accordance with the declared purpose of the loan, he used the money to execute the development of his property at Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi Court, Lugard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
He stated that between March and August 2009, when the bank had problem with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), he paid the total sum of N414 million back to the bank, saying that the medical report he gave her client could be verified scientifically and was not influenced by the loan he got from the bank.
He denounced being labeled a beneficiary of economic crime committed by anybody, saying that the claim was false, baseless, in bad faith and maliciously targeted at criminalising obtaining credit facility.
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