CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday informed the state Assembly that nearly Rs 556 crore of the Rs 590 crore IDFC First Bank case has been recovered within 24 hours.
Saini said, Rs 556 crore including nearly Rs 22 crore in interest, came back within 24 hours.
"I want to clarify before the house that the money concerning Haryana government departments, (the) entire amount has been deposited back into our accounts. The recovery has been made within 24 hours," he said.
He said the bank had informed the government that the incident primarily involved a particular branch of the bank in Chandigarh, involving four to five bank employees of middle and lower rung who colluded in the whole thing.
"The government will ensure that anybody who is involved--be it a bank employee, private individual or even a government employee--will not be spared," said Saini.
Yesterday, Saini said that the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the state government would conduct an in-depth probe into the fraud.
Taking a dig at Congress, Saini said during the party's time, scams used to be hushed up and no one used to be held accountable, whereas the BJP government is working with zero tolerance towards corruption.
Saini reiterated that every person found responsible would be held accountable. “We are investigating the matter very seriously. The Anti-Corruption Bureau is probing the case. Our government works in a transparent manner. This is not an issue we will take lightly,” he added.
The Haryana government has de-empanelled IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank from conducting government business after IDFC First Bank disclosed the Rs 590-crore fraud in Haryana government accounts. AU Small Finance Bank has denied any wrongdoing.
The bank pegged the discrepancy at around Rs 590 crore, comprising Rs 490 crore identified following reconciliation and an additional Rs 100 crore that was “self-identified” through internal checks. The Managing Director indicated that the amount is unlikely to increase.
According to the bank, the irregularity is restricted to a specific cluster of government-linked accounts belonging to the Haryana government, all managed through its Chandigarh branch. The bank clarified that the issue is isolated and does not affect other customers at the branch.
Punjab Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had registered an FIR in the case. The case has been filed against bank officials, public servants and other individuals under Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Sections 316(5), 318(4), 336(3), 338, 340(2) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).