Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani criticised the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for its failure to take timely measures to avert the financial scam in the Bank of Punjab (BoP).
"The SBP is in the process of fulfilling legal formalities and collecting evidence relating to financial scams which took place in the Bank of Punjab," the sources quoted SBP Governor Dr Shamshad as saying in defence of the central bank''s failure to unearth financial bungling.
Investigations conducted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reveal that BoP''s financial scam was about Rs 13 billion and some of the top political influential personalities were involved in it. The central character of the scam, former BoP head Mahesh Khan has already fled from the country from Peshawar airport in connivance with FIA officials deputed at the airport.
PM''s Advisor on interior affairs Rehman Malik has suspended a few FIA officials present at the airport at the time of Khan''s departure, but nothing has been told to the media about the outcome of the investigations.
The three lawyers affiliated with three major power groups in the country namely Sharif-ud-Din Pirzada, Waseem Sajjad, and Dr Babar Awan were defending the accused in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Two NAB officials have been sent to jail by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for publicly manhandling one of the accused in the financial scam on the premises of the court. The SBP governor had assured the ECC that on completion of paper work and collection of evidence, the central bank would take further necessary legal action. Sources said it was also recommended to the ECC to privatise the Bank of Punjab.