Tier one lender, Zenith Bank Plc may have some explaining to
do, as reports indicate the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc, Peter
Amangbo was picked up by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Some other media have declined to specify the name of the
bank but essentially carried the same details. The bank is yet to issue a statement
pertaining to the issue.
What could be behind the action?
The bank appears to have failed to flag some large cash
withdrawals carried out by officials of the Rivers State government. The EFCC
has alleged these transactions amount to N117 billion and were carried out over
the last three years. Banks by law are mandated to flag such transactions.
Implications
Bank executives being picked up in the country is not a new
event. Nnamdi Okonkwo, Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, was in April
last year picked up by the EFCC pertaining to funds released by the then
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dieziani Allison Madueke. Access
Bank MD Herbert Wigwe was also briefly interrogated by the EFCC in May last
year.
Zenith Bank has two Deputy Managing Directors (DMDs) which
will enable operations to continue smoothly.
The news, however, could lead to a drop in the bank’s share
price as foreign investors are finicky about matters like this. Zenith is one
of the stocks largely favoured by foreign investors due to its liquidity.
Zenith Bank is currently trading at N21.95 in today’s
trading session on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
Results for the half year ended June 2018 show Gross
Earnings dropped from N380 billion in 2017 to N322 billion in 2018. Profit
before tax increased from N92 billion in 2017 to N107 billion in 2018. Profit
after tax rose from N75 billion in 2017 to N81 billion in 2018.
