The sum of $919,202.07 (N348,379,453 at official exchange rate of N379) has been permanently forfeited to the Federal Government by the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt.
The money was fraudulently kept in an interest yielding bank account set up since 2014 by some staff of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had accused the Chief Registrar, the Deputy Registrar of the court, and the Station Road, Port-Harcourt Branch of Union Bank of Nigeria of conspiring to hide the loot.
The money was discovered after the ICPC received a petition against some officials of the court for alleged violation of ICPC Act 2000.
Port Harcourt Nigeria: ICPC recover $919,202 from staff of Federal High Court for fraud bbc.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bbc.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu
The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has said that the CBN acted in the nation’s best interest by ordering banks, non-banking and other financial institutions not to facilitate trading and dealings in cryptocurrencies.
Emefiele, while briefing a joint Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, ICT and Cybercrimes, and Capital Market, on its directive banning cryptocurrency trading, described the operations of cryptocurrencies as dangerous and opaque.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligent Unit (NFIU), which also addressed the joint committee, said cryptocurrency was being used as a channel for funding violence and terrorism in Nigeria.