Deception claims against Nigerian medical student may not be sustained – Bank

The charges of deception that had been brought against a Nigerian medical student who had been studying here have been discontinued.

A release issued yesterday by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said a nolle prosequi has been entered in the case in which the student at the American University{{more}} School of Medicine of Saint Vincent was charged with deception in relation to a transaction in the sum of $10,000 at the Bank of Nova Scotia, Kingstown branch, in December 2015.

According to the release, Uyi Great Osunde, who had just completed his studies here, was detained and arrested at the E T Joshua Airport on December 17, as he awaited a flight to Trinidad and Tobago. His arrest followed a report made by the Bank of Nova Scotia that the Nigerian national had dishonestly obtained the sum of money the day before from an employee.

Osunde however stated that he had that day previously received money transferred to him via Western Union and had deposited $10,400 through the bank’s ABM at Halifax Street. He said that he wanted the money credited to his bank card, but when he learned that he would not have immediate access to the money, he requested that he be refunded the whole sum, as he was leaving the country the next day.

Scotiabank had however stated that only a single $100 note was retrieved on the morning of December 17, 2015, from the envelope deposited by Osunde; and the bank initially claimed that checks indicated that the ABM machine would jam in the opening if one hundred notes were deposited at the same time, as Osunde said he did.

“Based on the report made by Scotiabank, the Nigerian medical student was charged with dishonestly obtaining the sum of ten thousand dollars,” the release from the DPP said.

However the bank now acknowledges that its earlier report of dishonesty against the Nigerian medical student may not be sustainable.

“The bank’s Manager Service and Support, Ralph G Henry, who was present also at the first test of depositing funds through the ABM, in a further statement provided to the Crown, said that subsequent checks conducted earlier this month indicate that one hundred notes can be successfully deposited through the ABM – as Osunde claimed he did.

“Scotiabank also noted that based on a forensic audit conducted by a Canadian-based service provider, it was discovered that there was an excess of nine thousand, nine hundred dollars in the machine; this sum corresponds to the precise difference between what Osunde said he deposited and what was found in the envelope.

“Given that factual background, upon an application of the Full Code Test for prosecutors, I decided to enter a nolle prosequi,” the release from the DPP Colin Williams said.

Osunde first appeared in court on December 21 when he was granted bail in the sum of $12,000, after he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

He was represented by lawyer Grant Connell.