BCCI Investigation Day 8, AM Session

The two former top officials of First American Bankshares insisted again in a congressional hearing that they had broken no law and that they were unaware that the bank holding company may have been secretly owned by the scandal-plagued Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). Appearing before the subcommittee, Mr. Clifford and Mr. Altman categorically denied allegations by a former top executive of BCCI, Abdur Sakhia, that they had known of BCCI’s alleged ownership of First American Bankshares. “To state it simply, our consciences are clear,” said Clifford. Said Altman: “There is much that Mr. Sakia said that we object to: it is false, and it is utterly without foundation.” Sakhia testified before the panel on Tuesday. Clifford, a former defense secretary, and powerful Washington insider resigned in August as chairman of First American Bankshares, which the government says BCCI illegally acquired in 1982. Altman also relinquished his position as a member of the board. close