BCCI man's trial to begin this week

IMRAN IMAM, a former executive of Bank of Credit and Commerce International, attended the Old Bailey yesterday in preparation for his trial on six charges of false accounting involving dollars 52m, which is due to start this week, writes John Willcock.

The first count in the charges alleges that Mr Imam 'between the 1st day of September 1986 and 31st day of October 1990 dishonestly, with a view to gain for himself or another, or with intent to cause loss to another, conspired together with Agha Hasan Abedi, Saiyid Mohammed Swaleh Naqvi, Mohammed Asmatullah, Sayed Arjmand Ahmed Naqvi, Askari Hasan Khan and with other persons, to conceal documents made or required for an accounting purpose namely guarantees issued by BCCI to the National Commercial Bank, Jeddah, in respect of loans made by National Commercial Bank, Jeddah to Ghaith Rashad Pharaon.'

In the three-month Old Bailey trial of Nazmudin Virani, former head of the property group Control Securities, the jury is likely to be sent out this week.

Mr Virani has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to defraud, theft, false accounting and 11 charges of furnishing false information to BCCI's auditors, Price Waterhouse.