PNB sitting on CVC plea for nod to prosecute 9 staffers

The Punjab National Bank and two other banks are sitting over the CVC's multiple requests seeking sanction to prosecute nine of their senior officers allegedly involved in corruption, reveals data from the anti-corruption watchdog. 

According to norms, sanction for prosecution has to be decided within four months of the CVC's request. 

A total of 23 cases, involving 39 officials, including IAS and senior staff of banks, are pending sanction from various authorities for prosecution, according to latest data from the Central Vigilance Commission. 

Four of these 23 are related to banks -- two of the State Bank of India (SBI) and one each of UCO Bank and PNB. The CVC is awaiting sanction to prosecute nine employees of these banks who were booked by the CBI for their alleged involvement in corruption. 

Of the nine, five officers work with the SBI and three with the UCO Bank. Sanction to prosecute them has been pending since June 2017. The sanction to prosecute the ninth, a chief manager rank officer with PNB, has been pending since August 30, 2017, said the CVC data, updated till December 2017. 

The PNB has been hit by nearly Rs 11,400 crore alleged fraud by diamantaire Nirav Modi and others. 

Of the total cases awaiting sanction of prosecution, four cases are pending with ministry of personnel, the nodal authority to decide on anti-corruption matters, three with the Uttar Pradesh government, two with railway ministry and one each with defence and commerce ministries. 

One case each is pending with the governments of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh among others, the data reveals. 

A time limit of three months is prescribed for government departments for grant of sanction for prosecution against allegedly corrupt employees. An additional time of one month can also be given to decide on sanction of prosecution where consultation is required with the attorney general or any other law officer in his office.

Image: The Punjab National Bank branch where fraudulent transactions worth $1.77 bn were detected, in Mumbai. Photograph: Shirish Shete/PTI Photo.