KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials have stopped former head of Summit Bank Hussain Lawai, from leaving the country at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport in connection with suspicious bank transaction worth billions of rupees.
Lawai has confirmed that he was barred from going abroad. He said he is unaware as why he was stopped from flying abroad and was directed to approach the FIA, Karachi office for recording statement and facing an inquiry. “When I came to FIA office on Tuesday (today), I came to know about the issue, concluded Lawai.
Though FIA officials did not comment on the issue, some FIA senior officers of Sindh confirmed that he was stopped from leaving for abroad. They said Lawai was allowed only to go home following an under taking that he would appear before the FIA for the recording of his statement and joining inquiry.
According to sources in the FIA, as many as over 20 ‘benami’ accounts at the Summit Bank allegedly were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees’ were made in the accounts. The amount according to FIA sources is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes. But despite these huge transactions, the bank authorities never reported them to the authorities concerned including FIA.
The FIA sources confirmed that in 2015, FIA initiated had an inquiry into the case and notices were issued to responsible persons including Hussain Lawai.
