Ecobank told Nigeria SEC in Jan reinstating ex-finance director would be criminal

LAGOS (Reuters) - Ecobank told Nigeria's securities regulator (SEC) more than a month ago that fulfiling its demand to reinstate a former finance director would involve the pan-African lender in a "criminal act", according to a letter seen by Reuters. Nigeria's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said on Wednesday it had told Ecobank to reinstate ex-finance director Laurence do Rego pending the result of a probe into her allegations of breaches in corporate governance rules. But a letter from the SEC shows it made the demand on January 9. CEO Thierry Tanoh's response by letter 5 days later said do Rego had been fired for lying under oath about her qualifications so reinstating her would be criminal under law in Togo, where Ecobank's head office is.