Telenor investigates fraud in Pakistani bank

Both employees and external must be involved in a fraud by Telenor Microfinance Bank. The bank is owned by Telenor and is a major player in microfinance in Pakistan.

– We can confirm that there has been fraud in Telenor Microfinance Bank. There has been a collaboration between people who have worked in the bank and people outside the bank, to scam both the bank and their loan customers, says communications director Gry Rohde Nordhus in Telenor ASA to VG.

Telenor reports that an investigation group has been working on the case since October to find out the extent of the scam.

Employees and external cooperation
Tone Skuterud, head of Telenor ASA’s internal audit and review, heads the review group. She does not want to say anything about the amount, how many people are involved or what the fraud has been.

– This case appears to involve significant cooperation between employees and external parties outside the bank, which has scammed both the bank and customers of the bank, Skuterud told VG.

According to the newspaper’s experience, there will be a considerable amount of money.

Telenor alerts grip
According to a press release from Telenor, no deposit customers are affected. The company describes the situation as unacceptable and warns of “necessary steps” when the investigation is completed.

Telenor Microfinance Bank is owned by Telenor Group and Ant Financial, a company affiliated with Alibaba Group. The bank was started in 2006 as Tameer Microfinance Bank and is a major player in microfinance in Pakistan.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today