Our MD was not detained by Police ― Jumia

ONLINE retail giant, Jumia has reacted to the purported arrest of one of its Managing Directors, Mr Guy Futi, describing the report as fake.

In a statement signed by Jumia’s Chief Legal Officer, Seyi Oni, on Tuesday, the management of Jade Internet Services, owners of Jumia Food said the allegation that Mr Futi was arrested by the men of the Nigerian Police Force, Zone II over allegation of fraud and conversion of company’s funds for personal use, was a mere fabricated allegation.

“The current Country Manager of Jumia Food Nigeria, Mr Guy Futi neither misappropriated the company’s funds nor converted them for personal use. If this had happened, Jumia would have taken legal action against him, and probably involved the press.

“He was never involved in any fraudulent act. Mr Futi was invited for questioning by the Nigerian Police Force on Thursday, January 31st, 2019 in relation to an ongoing case of fraud filed by Jumia Food against one of its vendors, Castle Logistics Services.

“Mr Futi was never detained by the police. He was invited for questioning and left the station after the interrogation same day. At the time the incident for which Jumia took legal action against Castle Logistics occurred, Mr Futi had not joined the company,” the statement said.

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TribuneOnline recalls that there were reports early this week that a logistics services providing company, Castle Logistics Services Limited, had petitioned the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, of Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, over the allegation.

In the petition dated the 24th day of December, 2018, signed by one Mrs. Catherine Azubuike the petitioner, she alleged that they entered into a Service Level Agreement, sometime in August 2016, wherein they are to provide personal services and equipment to Jumia Food for delivery of food supply requests made online by its customers, adding that it also involves the collection of monies and consequent remittance of same to Jumia.

The petitioner alleged further that on May 2018, the contract became determined by Castle for gross failure to adhere to the terms by Jumia.

Jumia was said to have been able to pay for only August 2016 to March 2018 and fell short of the payment of N214,695,445.49, and upon a thorough investigation into the payment collection system, they found out that Jumia without Castle’s consent and permission gave to some of the Riders, Jumia food’s personal POS for collection of payments from customers, and effectively those payments were rendered directly into Jumia food designated accounts