KARACHI: The special court for offence in banks (SCOIB) in Karachi on Thursday granted interim pre-arrest bail to 25 suspects in a case pertaining to Rs54 billion alleged bank fraud by various officers of Hascol Petroleum Limited (HPL), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and other organisations. Those granted pre-arrest bail include HPL’s Chief Financial Officer Khurrum Shahzad and Director Najumus Saqib Hameed and others. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had booked HPL founder Mumtaz Hassan along with some 30 suspects, including present and former top officials of the NBP, HPL and other organisations, over their alleged involvement in the said case. After arrest Mumtaz Hassan was sent to jail in judicial custody. Presiding officer of the SCOIB, Imdad Hussain Soomro after hearing the counsel of the applicant granted them pre-arrest bail with direction to cooperate with the FIA in investigation. The FIA alleged that an inquiry had revealed that the detained HPL founder and others were involved in the country’s biggest financial fraud committed by the HPL officers in connivance with the NBP’s top management and other commercial banks. TLTP
