05 March 2005	Saturday	23 Muharram 1426

ISLAMABAD, March 4: Fraud amounting to Rs82.51 million was committed in five branches of the Zarai Taraqiati Bank (ZTBL) over the past three years, record placed before the National Assembly on Friday revealed.

The information was placed before the house by the Minister of State for Finance, Omer Ayub, in response to a question by MNA Sardar Tufail Ahmed Khan, who had sought details of the fraud and the action taken against the perpetrators by the government.

The record showed that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency were investigating cases against 25 bank employees, some of whom had been arrested. Details of the cases showed that seven ZTBL employees committed a fraud amounting to Rs21.457 million in the Chiniot branch.

Inquiries were conducted against deputy directors Mahr Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ramzan and Abdul Hameed, and assistant directors Jamshed Ahmed, Fida Hussain and Azhar Masood Jaffery.

Disciplinary action against the ZTBL officials of the Chiniot Branch was at an advanced stage while the main accused, Jamshed Ahmed, had been arrested by the FIA. Record pertaining to ZTBL Pasrur Branch showed that seven officials committed a fraud amounting to Rs8.36 million.

Assistant directors Dr M Asif and Ijaz Ahmed, accounts officer Qazi Tariq Mehmood, cashier Abdul Haq and a security guard were dismissed from service while deputy director Masood A Sheikh and assistant director Faiz Riaz Qureshi were demoted. NAB had completed the inquiry, and a case was to be filed with a court.

In ZTBL Kotli Loharan Branch, action was taken against five officials, deputy director-cum-manager Imtiaz Hussain Gillani, assistant director Hanif Shad, extra assistant directors Saleem Qureshi and Saeedullah Baig and deputy director M Yousaf, for a fraud amounting to Rs13.568 million.

In ZTBL Sialkot Branch, a fraud amounting to Rs36.432 million was committed by six officials, deputy director Agha Bashir Aslam and extra assistant directors Attique Anwar, Tahir Iqbal, Nasir Mehmood, Sarfaraz Ahmed Bajwa and Aslam Bajwa.

Disciplinary action against the employees was at an advanced stage while a criminal case against one Ilam Din and his accomplices on charges of producing fake passbooks and defrauding the bank had been referred to the NAB.

In ZTBL Multan Branch, a fraud of Rs2.69 million was committed by cashier Allah Bux. The cashier had been dismissed from service, and criminal proceedings against him registered with the FIA's Multan Branch.

In reply to another question by MNA Sardar Tufail, the state minister for finance informed the house that terms and conditions of the incumbent president of ZTBL were yet to be decided by the board of directors of the bank. In response to a question by MNA Mian Mohammad Aslam, the house was informed that HBL and UBL provided car loans worth Rs13.7 billion to 27,177 persons.

In reply to a question by MNA Beelum Hussain, the house was informed that two officials of SME Bank, Javed K Siddiqui and Hashim Hoti, had left the bank, but a club membership fee paid to them could not be recovered 'as per existing industry policy'.

The officials were paid Rs100,000 each as partial fee for membership of the Islamabad Club by the SME Bank.