Satyam submitted fake bank documents to PWC, says witness

According to A Sebasen, BNP Paribas (Hyderabad) branch manager, the documents were found to be fake after verification by the bank. The CID had seized bank documents pertaining to Satyam Computers from PriceWaterHouse, the auditors of the scam-hit company.

The sleuths seized confirmation letters from various banks including ICICI, HDF, HSBC, BNP Paribas and City bank on bank balances and fixed deposits of Satyam Computers that were allegedly used to inflate financials.

Sebasen told the court that CBI had approached the BNP Paribas bank to certify genuineness of the set of documents seized (on current account statements, FD receipts and letter heads) and after verification they found the documents were not issued by their bank.

The fixed deposit numbers and the amount given in the documents did not match with the bank records at Hyderabad, but they were shown as issued by the Mumbai branch of BNP Paribas, Sebasen said.

"After the verification we found that the documents did not belong to BNP Paribas Hyderabad branch or to its Mumbai branch. The balances (mentioned in the documents) in the accounts did not match either.

"The documents including the letter heads contained the Mumbai bank address and it also had the e-mail ID of former Chief Executive Officer of the bank who in fact had left the bank in 2002. Even the signatures did not belong to any of our officials," he said.

The ACMM court here examined the banker in connection with the alleged fake bank documents and fixed deposit receipts of Satyam Computers Services Limited (SCSL) which the CBI said were "forged" by the accused.

The CID, which initially took the investigation soon after the scam broke out in January 2009, had seized several bank documents from the PWC office here that were allegedly created by Satyam founder B Ramalinga Raju and other accused.

"Satyam maintained five current accounts and a fixed deposit at BNP Paribas Hyderabad branch only and they did not have any other account anywhere in India with BNP Paribas. Two of the current accounts were operated by Satyam in Indian currency while the remaining was operated in foreign currency of USD, Euro and Swiss Franks," the bank official said.

However, the defence counsel objected saying how could a Hyderabad branch manager be a witness to the verifications and certifications given by the bank's Mumbai officials and wanted the Mumbai bank official be made as witness.

Following this, the court asked CBI to produce the BNP Paribas Mumbai official and posted the matter to November 22 for cross examination of both the witnesses.