When it was first reported that the bank account of Presidential Affairs Minister Nathaniel F. McGill was robbed by unknown individuals of over US$40,000, some pundits contended the liquidity problem facing the country was not the only unfortunate thing happening to the country’s banking system. Some posited that there were integrity issues needed to be addressed also. But then the bank allegedly implicated, Guarantee Trust Bank or GTBank, barked back swiftly, apparently to save its name, denying that neither its management nor staff had anything to do with the Minister’s deposit. It was reported—and some members of the public made it a taunting issue—that it was rather the wife of the Minister who used his Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) card to withdraw cash from the account. It seems the truth is yet to be told fully, because the Minister has bounced back, dismissing the Bank’s explanation and maintaining there was actually a foul play on his account which his wife had nothing do with. Now the Minister is threatening to press charges against the GTBank, as The Analyst reports.
In the wake of social media reports that his ATM card was used by his wife without his knowledge, State and Presidential Affairs Minister Nathaniel McGill has denied his wife has got anything to do with the scandal.
Confirming reports nevertheless that his ATM card was used to withdraw money from his salary account amounting to more than 40,000USD, the Chief of Staff of President George Manneh Weah told this paper that his wife was not involved with the scandal.
Minister McGill made the clarification in the wake of social media reports that following the reconciliation and internal investigation by the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) into the financial transactions in Minister McGill’s Salary account at the bank, it was established that a lady purported to be the Wife of Nathaniel McGill, Neejay Dwah Innis, has been allegedly withdrawing from her husband’s account with his ATM card to purchase several items online.
But Minister McGill indicated that the transactions in question was the work of fraudster, and not his wife, that used his ATM to withdraw from his salary to pay rent in America, paid bills, and settled other expenditure abroad.
In an exclusive interview with The Analyst, the Minister said: “It is a complete nonsense that my wife name is mentioned in this criminal transaction into my account.”
While exonerating his wife, he explained that his wife is with him in Liberia and he has his ATM card with him. He added: “So it does make sense for my wife to be involved. I trust my wife. She did not do it.”
“It is my wife who runs my home, keeps my credit cards, but she has not done anything like that before behind me, let alone using my ATM card without my approval,” the State & Presidential Affair Minister stated why exonerating his wife.
Minister McGill, who sounded furious over the act did not mince his words when he said the GTBank is responsible for the scandal.
He asserted further: “For the past 10 months since the COVID-19, I haven’t used my card. So I am holding the bank responsible for the withdrawal from my account. Perhaps GTBank was in cohort with whoever that entered my account and withdrew from it.”
According to him, he used his personal GSM number to open the account so as to be able to receive message from transactions into his account but to his utmost surprise he never got any message throughout the dubious transaction.
He further noted that he, like any other ATM card holder, expects alert messages during those transactions that resulted to the unlawful withdrawal of more than USD40, 000.00 from his salary account.
He therefore vowed to hold the GTbank liable for the fraud and threatened legal action for the scandal so that it can be compelled to restitute his stolen money.
Commenting on report that his wife is an employee with the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, Minister McGill clarified that his wife is an NGO person and not working with the Ministry as it is being reported on the social media.
During the course of last week, the Smart Liberia and Shine Liberia Facebook groups reported that recent investigation of the reconciliation and internal audit Units at the bank revealed that the Ministers’ wife did an extravagant online shopping for a couple of months, using her husband’s visa card issued to him by the bank without his consent, thereby depleting the Minister’s account.
According to the social media reports, Minister Nathaniel F. McGill on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 complained the GT Bank to the court and accused the bank of siphoning over US$40,000 from his salary account which prompted Judge Jumah Jallah to immediately arrest the Manager of the Sinkor Branch, according to news reported by Smart Liberia.
A team from Editorial Department of The Analyst Newspaper last Saturday made several efforts contacting the GTBank Management for comments on the alleged scandal, but the Bank Manager who was said to be the appropriate authority to comment on the matter was out of office, according to security sources assigned at the bank. However, investigation continues.
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