The Board of Barclays Bank Botswana has instituted an investigation into allegations that a number of senior executives at the bank were involved in credit card fraud.
Further allegations, which have been brought to the Board’s attention, are that a number of junior female employees have been unduly promoted in return for sexual favours to their supervisors.
The banking Group has roped in the services of its Regional Human Resource Director based in Zambia to look at how the company’s credit cards were used by some executives during the just ended FIFA World Cup that was held in South Africa.
The Director is assisted by an independent forensic investigator.
Barclays Bank Botswana Head of Corporate Affairs, Esther Norris, said it was against the company’s policy to comment on such allegations.
“As a matter of policy, Barclays cannot and will not comment on such allegations,” she said.
Investigations by Sunday Standard have, however, independently revealed that there is currently an ongoing forensic audit around the allegations and an official report is expected in two weeks’ time.
Perhaps as demonstration of how seriously they regarded the allegations, the Board took a decision to launch an investigation.
This followed a tip-off from a whistle blower from inside the Group.
As a result of the allegations management has had to redeploy some of the implicated young female employees.
An insider from the bank said some of the staffers implicated have had to undergo sessions of emotional counseling to help them cope with a backlash of personal pressures as they go through what has been described as a “difficult phase” for all involved.
