Azerbaijan, Baku, June 24/Trend M. Moezzi
As court proceedings continue in two huge fraud cases that are said to involve high government officials, the inspection arm of Iran's Bank Sepah has uncovered a $2.6 million (USD) fraud case at one of the bank's branches.
The branch where the fraud took place is in Tehransar, on the outskirts of western Tehran. The Iranian Labour News Agency reports that the suspect in the case is accused of forging the bank manager's signature and issuing a counterfeit bank guarantee that netted him $2.6 million.
Authorities have been able to seize $1.3 million of the funds along with an apartment and car. They have also blocked all bank accounts belonging to the suspect and his wife.
This latest banking fraud case follows on the heels of the ongoing $3 billion banking embezzlement trial involving the Amir Mansour Arya Group. Mah Afarid Amir Khosravi is accused of using his influence government officials' cooperation to obtain fake letters of credit and huge bank loans. Arya Group's fraud was initially exposed at Bank Melli. Last fall, Mahmoud-Reza Khavari, the bank's managing director resigned his post and fled to Canada where he still remains.
Meanwhile, judicial proceedings are ongoing in a third fraud case against the Iran Insurance company where a defendant claims to have paid more than $1.2 million in bribes to Mohammad Reza Rahimi, who serves as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's First Vice President. Other high government officials have also been accused of receiving bribes in the Iran Insurance trial.