CBN Investigator summons Tunde Lemo, two others over controversial acquisition of Union Bank
The Special Investigator probing the Central Bank of Nigeria, Jim Obazee, has summoned the Chairman of Titan Trust Bank (TTB), Tunde Lemo, and two other shareholders of the bank to a “follow-up meeting” in Abuja on Thursday over the controversial 2022 acquisition of Union Bank of Nigeria.
The Special Investigator issued the summons hours after Mr Lemo, a former deputy governor of the CBN, faulted his findings on the issue.
Mr Obazee, in a report he submitted to President Bola Tinubu on 20 December, had said the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, used “ill-gotten wealth” to establish TTB and used it to acquire Union Bank and Keystone Bank through some persons serving as his proxies.
Titan Trust Bank Chairman, Mr. Babatunde Lemo, and two others have been invited by the Special Investigator on CBN, Mr. Jim Osayande Obazee, over the controversial 2022 acquisition of Union Bank of Nigeria.
The other invited shareholders are Mr. Cornelius Vink and Mr. Raul Savara.
Lemo, who was CBN deputy governor between 2004 and 2014, is expected to appear with the shareholders for further grilling on Thursday.
It was learnt that the big stick might be wielded should those invited fail to honour the invitation to enable the investigator to unravel other details on the $ 500 million acquisition of Union Bank by Titan Trust Bank (TTB).
A conglomerate, the Tropical General Investment Group (TGI), on Sunday, said the USD500 million capital used to pay for the transaction was transparent and unimpeachable.
TGI insisted that it is the majority owner of TTB and Union Banks.
Obazee and his team of crack detectives alleged that their findings proved otherwise
