Srinagar: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has asked former state Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti to explain her position regarding the illegal recruitments in Jammu and Kashmir Bank.
In a letter No: SSP/ACBK/FIR-10/2019/3064 dated 03-08-2019, SSP, ACB, asked Mehbooba, “During the course of investigation of case FIR No 10/2019, police station ACKB dated 08-06-2019, it has surfaced that some appointments were made by Chairman of J&K Bank on references and recommendations of a few ministers.”
“It may please be clarified whether such references had your endorsement, verbal or otherwise for appointments in J&K Bank,” it added.
Dozens of backdoor appointments in the J&K Bank came to the surface during the ACB investigations into the working of the bank’s sacked chairman, Pervaiz Ahmad Nengroo.
Unearthing of backdoor appointments and virtually unsecured loans to influential businessmen or kith and kin of the then ministers had jolted the reputation of the bank as the state government and the Reserve Bank of India stepped in quickly for course correction in April-May this year.
In a related development, former legislator and President of Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), Engineer Rashid, is in Delhi after the NIA summoned him to appear before the investigating agency on Sunday.