A widow identified as Beatrice Ironkwe yesterday heaved a sigh of relief following the recovery of her trapped Four Hundred Thousand Naira{N400,000} Pension Part Payment by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission{ICPC} which was allegedly fraudulently withdrawn from a commercial bank without her knowledge.
It was gathered that Mrs Ironkwe, who described herself as next of kin to her late husband, was defrauded after an her signature was used to withdraw the sum of 400,000 naira through a cheque that was issued by the Abia State Pensions Board.
But, the woman, who despite the insistence by officials of Abia State Pensions Board that she has collected the 400,000 naira part payment of he husband,s pension, insisted that there was no time that she collected the money and promptly reported to her lawyer who swiftly reported the case to the ICPC in Enugu.
Shortly after receiving the complaint of the widow, the ICPC swung into action discovered after investigation that the bank involved could not produce strong identity of the person that collected the money, a development that made the commission to convince the Abia State Pensions Board to issue another 400,000 naira cheque to Mrs Inonkwe.
Speaking while handing over the cheque to the widow in Enugu, the Zonal Commissioner of ICPC South East zone, Prince Hassan Muhammed, stated that the Abia State Pensions Board had claimed that it issued a cheque of 400,000 naira to the widow and insisted that she collected the cheque.
Prince Muhammed, who commended the Chairman of ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta for his support and guidance during investigation of the case, said when ICPC contacted the pensions board in Abia State, its officials insisted that the woman cashed the cheque the board issued to her, adding that the bank confirmed that she collected the money. (Leadership)
