President directs CDNS to reimburse Rs1.2m to female fraud victim

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has directed the Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) to reimburse an amount of Rs 1.2 million with profit to a female citizen whose money was fraudulently withdrawn from her account by issuing a fictitious chequebook and affixing her fake signatures on the withdrawal slip.

He also asked CDNS to refer the matter to FIA for proper investigation so that the delinquent officials of CDNS involved in the scam may be brought to the book and punished. The president issued these directions while deciding on a representation filed by CDNS (the Agency) against the decision of the Wafaqi Mohtasib directing CDNS to refer the matter to FIA for thorough investigation.

Mst Abida Riffat had alleged in her complaint that she was maintaining a Pensioners Benefit Account with CDNS in Rawalpindi. She found out in 2021 that an amount of Rs 1.2 million was fraudulently withdrawn from her account in 2019 through another cheque book which was never issued to her. She lodged a complaint with CDNS for investigation and recovery of her defrauded amount, but the case was investigated in a superfluous manner and she was informed that she could not produce any evidence in support of her claim. Feeling aggrieved, she approached the Wafaqi Mohtasib which asked CDNS to get the case investigated through FIA. The CDNS then filed a representation with the president against the Mohtasib’s decision.

In his decision, the president observed that CDNS in its letter dated 28.12.2021 had admitted that Rs 1.2 million were withdrawn from her account through a fake transaction on 23.05.2019 by affixing a fake signature on the withdrawal slip. He further noted that during an internal inquiry conducted by CDNS, an officer had given a statement in which he alleged that the disputed amount was fraudulently misappropriated by the gunman and the cashier who were not involved by the CDNS in the inquiry proceedings. This, he added, depicted that the inquiry was not transparent and CDNS was opposing the entrustment of the matter to FIA without any justification. The president concluded that Wafaqi Mohtasib had rightly observed that the case of fraudulent withdrawal of amount had not been properly investigated and directed it to refer the matter to FIA. He upheld Mohtasib’s decision with the direction to CDNS to submit a compliance report to Mohtasib within 30 days.