A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Friday ordered Zenith Bank Plc to reverse a sum of 8,541 Dollars illegally deducted from the account of one of its customers, Mr. Ida Gabriel, according to agency reports.
Delivering judgment in a suit, Magistrate Aliyu Shafa, held the defendant (Zenith Bank Plc) was not able to prove to the court that the said money does not belong to the plaintiff. “Zenith bank should refund to the plaintiff’s account the said money, minus the bank charges if any,” the magistrate ruled.
In the statement of claim filed before the court, the plaintiff said he made the offshore transfer of the said sum through his Zenith Bank account to the second plaintiff (Orange wood International Investment Ltd) in India for purpose of full payment for Ophthalmic Surgical devices purchased.
He said the beneficiary reported back to him that he did not receive the money, following which he lodged a complaint at the bank, with a request that the money be sent to the second plaintiff’s account.
The plaintiff averred said that rather than doing the needful, the defendant (bank) insisted that he must provide the transfer details from the beneficiary to enable it effect the reversal.
Gabriel said that the beneficiary did not receive the amount transferred and therefore, had no transcript to send to him to enable him retrieve the said amount from the defendant.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Abudrahman Salihu, said the bank was approached to refund the money which was not up the said amount deposited for transfer, but it insisted the plaintiff present the transcript from the beneficiary which was impossible.
