3 Omni Group employees, 8 ordinary citizens: Rs 42.37 billion laundered though 32 fake bank accounts: FIA

The director general (DG) Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Friday said that 32 fake accounts were opened and operated through different banks in the name of three employees of Omni Group and eight ordinary citizens to facilitate money laundering in an organised manner.
While briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior on the multibillion rupees fake bank accounts case, DG FIA Bashir Ahmed Memon said that the total turnover in the 32 fake accounts operated through different banks was Rs 42.37 billion. The meeting was presided over MNA Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz.
He said that the probe into fake accounts revealed that the 32 fake/ front accounts were opened and operated, through Summit Bank (15 accounts), United Bank Limited (8 accounts), Sindh Bank (7 accounts), and Muslim Commercial Bank and Faysal Bank, one account each, purposely to facilitate money laundering in an organised and structured manner.
The DIG FIA said that according to the joint investigation team (JIT) report, out of total turnover of Rs 42.37 billion, total turnover through 15 accounts of Summit Bank was Rs 26,590 million, UBL Rs 7,930 million, Sindh Bank Rs 6,186 million, MCB 905 million and Faysal Bank's turnover was Rs 761 million.
The 32 bank accounts were opened and operated in the name of three employees of Omni Group and eight common citizens including one deceased. All these accounts having total turnover of Rs 42.37 billion had been closed much prior to the action initiated by the FIA's JIT. Therefore no account has been recovered from these fake accounts.
The DG FIA said that banks did not provide record to the FIA. "The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) did not request bank to provide record and it has the authority to confiscate record required for investigation," he added.
He said that the JIT conducted investigation of 924 accounts during the investigation of the fake banks case. "Over 70 investigation officers including assistant sub-inspectors, sub-inspectors, inspectors and directors have been sent to Karachi for investigation into the fake accounts case," he said.
Replying to a parliamentarian, the DG FIA said that two bankers have been arrested. The FIA has handed over all record to the NAB, he said. Memon revealed before the committee that the FIA Lahore is also conducting investigation into another big money laundering case.
He told the committee that 3,579 vacancies are lying vacant in the FIA. However, he said that now the FIA has started recruitment and first phase of recruitment of 10,000 employees will be completed in December this year. The DIG FIA further told the committee that the Agency has so far received over 30,000 complaints regarding cyber crime while concerned department comprises only 10 investigators. The meeting was also attended by MNAs including Sher Akbar Khan, Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Syed Agha Rafiullah, besides senior officials of the Ministry of Interior.