‘Officials Involved In Bank Scams Will Not Be Spared’: Nayab Saini

The Haryana government is determined to get to the bottom of cases involving scams worth ₹750 crore at IDFC First Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and AU Small Finance Bank. So far, the government has suspended two officials, and the possibility that more officials may face severe action cannot be ruled out.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini stated that while all the money transferred from the banks to shell companies along with interest has been recovered, this by no means implies that those guilty of these scams will be pardoned. The Chief Minister announced that the investigation into all irregularities has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Once the CBI submits its report, the guilty officials will not be spared.

CBI Investigating The Entire Matter

Responding to media queries in Chandigarh, the Chief Minister did not deny that many of the 15 officials transferred on Wednesday night have links to these bank scams. Nayab Saini remarked that a CBI investigation into the entire matter was ordered precisely because there was a suspicion of involvement somewhere along the line.

Responding to a specific question, he emphasized that the government is taking these banking irregularities very seriously. Two officials Pradeep Kumar-I (2011 batch) and R.K. Singh (2012 batch) who were promoted from the Haryana Civil Services (HCS) to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), have already been suspended.

A scam amounting to approximately ₹590 crore occurred at IDFC First Bank, wherein officials colluded with bank managers to divert government funds into the accounts of various shell companies. Kotak Mahindra Bank allegedly misappropriated funds worth around ₹160 crore belonging to the Panchkula Municipal Corporation. Scams running into crores of rupees have also been uncovered at AU Small Finance Bank.

Our Accountability To The Public

The Chief Minister asserted that his government operates on a policy of zero tolerance. Both the government and the officials are responsible for running the administrative system, and “we hold ourselves accountable to the public.” This is the first government that, whatever action it takes, does so by engaging directly with the public. It informs the people exactly what steps it is undertaking.

Previously, the public was not even apprised of what was transpiring. We are all individuals committed to propelling the state forward. We all bear a collective accountability toward the people. He noted that the opposition had raised this issue in the Legislative Assembly. At that time, right there within the Assembly, I gave an assurance that all public funds would be returned to the banks within 24 hours. Now, the entire sum including accrued interest has been credited back to the respective accounts.

Investigation Essential To Uncover The Full Scope Of The Matter

The Chief Minister stated that an investigation was imperative to uncover the full scope and underlying details of the entire affair. The State Government’s Finance Committee and the Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted inquiries at their respective levels. As the investigation progressed, the government continued to take action against those found culpable. The case has now been handed over to the CBI.

It is only after the CBI submits its report that the identities of other individuals involved in these banking scams will come to light. Referring to the transfers of officials effected on Wednesday night, he remarked that while the transfer of administrative officers is a routine administrative process, the possibility that several of the officials transferred on that particular day may have connections to the banking scam cannot be entirely ruled out.

All the money deposited in these banks represents the hard earned savings the “blood and sweat” of the people of this state. The report detailing exactly how these funds were diverted from the banks into the accounts of shell companies will emerge once the CBI concludes its investigation.