CBN Investigator Invites Lemo, Others Over Union Bank Acquisition, Details Emerge

The chairman of Titan Trust Bank (TTB), Babatunde Lemo, has been summoned by the Special CBN Investigator, Jim Obazee, in connection with the acquisition of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc by TTB.

VerseNews reports that Lemo, along with the promoters of the bank, has been directed to appear at the Department of Force Intelligence in Abuja on Thursday, December 28, to be questioned regarding the UBN acquisition.

The special investigator’s report alleged the use of proxies by former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele to set up Titan Trust Bank and acquire Union Bank.

Lemo maintains that the establishment of TTB and the acquisition of Union Bank were transparent and verified by regulatory bodies

Following the investigation into the UBN deal, and response to Lemo’s defence, the investigator in the letter titled, ‘RE: CBN investigation activities: Invitation for a follow-up meeting with the Special Investigator,’ took the TTB chairman to task on his defence.

The letter read in part: “Please, refer to your discussion with the Special Investigator earlier today regarding the offensive defence that your good self issued in PUNCH newspapers, on behalf of TTB which you chair, as well as the email you sent to the Special Investigator today wherein you tried to provide clarification on your reaction to the report on TTB.

“The defence seems contrary to the statements, made under caution, by the persons connected with these transactions, including your good self, before the Special Investigator at the Department of State Service in August 2023.

“In the said newspapers, you referred to both Cornelius Vink and Rahul Savara as “prominent global entrepreneurs and having thriving businesses in Nigeria.

“In your email as well as your earlier discussion with the Special Investigator, you suggested that both of them be invited to provide clarification on their share ownership and given seven days to make such clarification; failure which they will forfeit their shares to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“We are surprised at your request about these two shareholders. They were given this opportunity via a letter to them dated 28th August 2023 (copy attached as Appendix 1).

“Instead of honouring the invitation and providing the requested documents, we received a letter from the Company Secretary of Union Bank, Somuyiwa Sonubi, dated 1st September 2023, informing the Special Investigator that Mr Cornelius Vink was out of the country on medical grounds and that both “Messrs Vink and Savara will be available for the meeting as soon as they are in Nigeria which will be soon” (copy attached as Appendix 2).

“Up until this offensive defence that you put in the public domain, the Special Investigator has neither heard from them nor received the requested documents.”