All 12 former employees of the Bhutan National Bank Limited (BNBL) involved in a forgery case confessed in court that they forged documents while applying for the post of support staff at the bank. The Criminal Bench I of the Thimphu District court conducted the opening hearing yesterday.
In April 2017 and February 2018, the BNBL management announced the vacancy for the post of support staff through print media. A total of over 500 applicants applied in both the year. Later, 15 staff were recruited for various posts. The criteria required the applicant to have a class VIII pass qualification with 50 per cent for 2017 recruitment and 55 per cent for 2018 recruitment. The selection criteria were also based on viva voce. However, the bank’s Executive Management Committee headed by the former CEO later received an anonymous letter stating about the forged mark sheets. The bank then made six of their employees out of 15 staff who worked for one and a half year resign from services with benefits instead of terminating. The BNBL had paid retirement benefits amounting to more than Nu 153,000 for six staff in contravention to the Human Resource Policy Manual 2016. The bank instead of terminating services of those staff who had been recruited based on forged documents had asked the employees to put up resignation letters, which were then accepted and employees relieved from service with benefits.
The case came into the limelight after the Royal Audit Authority (RAA) conducted its annual auditing of the bank. The case was forwarded to the Office of the Attorney General for prosecution by the police in October last year.
Since the defendants confessed to the court, the court will directly pass the judgment.
Pema Seldon Tshering /Tshering Zam
