18 Mar 2013

Finance Ministry And RBI Investigating Money Laundering Accusations Against ICICI, HDFC And Axis Bank

Banking frauds in India have crossed all the limits and there is an urgent need on the part of Reserve Bank of India and Finance Ministry of India to take strict penal action against the offending banks.

RBI has in the past imposed penalties upon many banks for failure to comply with various laws and regulations. RBI is also investigating the cyber fraud happened at YES Bank.

Now it has been reported by media that ICICI, HDFC and Axis Banks have been accused of indulging in money laundering and benami transactions.

Reacting to this gross and poor state of banking industry of India, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Finance Ministry of India have decided to investigate the money laundering allegations against ICICI, HDFC and Axis banks.

We would share the result of the investigation the moment it would be made public by Finance Ministry and RBI.

Banking Frauds In India Have Increased And RBI Is Sleeping

Banking frauds in India have increased tremendously. This is partly due to lack of stringent banking fraud laws in India and partly because the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has failed to do the needful in this regard.

ATM frauds, Internet banking frauds, online banking frauds, RTGS frauds, money laundering offences, etc are on rise and all this is happening right under the nose of RBI.

In the absence of any deterrent punishment, Indian banks and their official are openly flouting the rules and regulations applicable to them. They are also flouting the bank's code of conduct and ethical standards.

Banks of India are also not following cyber law due diligence in India.

Banks of India have also failed to appoint chief information officers (CIOs) and adopt cyber security requirements as prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).


At Perry4Law and Perry4Law’s Techno Legal Base (PTLB) we strongly believe that the regulatory environment for banks in India needs a rejuvenation that must bring transparency, accountability and responsibility among banks of India.

ICICI, HDFC And Axis Banks Alleged To Be Indulging In Money Laundering And Benami Transactions

Banking frauds in India have reached a level where if immediate action is not taken then public would loose faith in the banking industry of India.

As per media reports, it has been alleged that senior executive of private banks like ICICI, HDFC and Axis Banks have agreed to receive unverified sums of cash and put them in their investment schemes and benami accounts in violation of anti-money laundering laws of India.

These allegations are serious in nature and a thorough investigation must be conducted by enforcement officials, serious fraud investigation office (SFIO) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

If found guilt, strict legal and administrative actions must be taken against the guilty banks and their officials.

The banking license of banks repeatedly violating rules and regulations applicable in India must also be cancelled by the RBI.

Further, it is also high time to formulate phishing laws and regulations for banks and financial institutions of India as well as complaint against more and more banks are filed these days.

At Perry4Law and Perry4Law’s Techno Legal Base (PTLB) we strongly believe that the regulatory environment for banks in India needs a rejuvenation that must bring transparency, accountability and responsibility among banks of India.

The sooner this is done the better it would be for the larger interest of all stakeholders.