Standard Chartered Bank hails EFCC on anti-corruption fight

Glory Ebomah

The Standard Chartered Bank, SCB, has applauded the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on its fight against corrupt practices across the country.

This commendation was given on Thursday, November 23, 2023, by a delegation of the bank, led by its Executive Director, and Head of Compliance, Siji Adeyinka while on a courtesy visit to the corporate headquarters of the Commission in Jabi, Abuja.

Managing Director and Head, Europe and Americas, Mathew Brown says his bank regards EFCC as “a very interesting law enforcement agency that is trying hard to protect the image of the country”.  He further submitted that the bank enjoyed working with the EFCC.

Speaking further, Adeyinka says that SCB is engaging the Commission to understand its strategy in combating economic and financial crimes as a way of identifying with its objectives.

“Part of our intention is to continue to engage with the EFCC to try as much as possible to let them understand our own strategy in terms of combating financial crimes”, he said.

He also called for reciprocal support from the EFCC.  He disclosed that his bank offered training on issues of financial crimes to staff of the Commission recently.

Responding, Executive Chairman of the Commission Mr. Ola Olukoyede, who spoke through the Secretary to the Commission, Mohammad Hammajoda said the Commission was ready to collaborate with any Agency that would help rid the country of corruption. He however called for a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, detailing areas of mutual interest, between the EFCC and SCB.

We will continue to collaborate with you. The essential thing is for us to deploy everything we must fight corruption, physically, mentally and spiritually. Let’s speak against it, let’s fight it for us to leave legacies for our children to reach their pinnacles”, he said.

In his own contributions, Director of Operations, Abdulkarim Chukkol explained that the EFCC placed a high premium on capacity building, thanking SCB for its training programme for staff of the Commission.

“Banks are our major stakeholders in the fight against economic and financial crimes.  This is the first training we are getting from SCB.  We will take our relationship with the bank more seriously”, he said.