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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 1, 1993                   TAG: 9304010148
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A15   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA                                LENGTH: Short

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BCCI FIGURE CONVICTED

A jury Wednesday convicted a former National Bank of Georgia official of charges that grew out of the government's investigation of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International.

William W. Batastini, a former senior vice president and comptroller of NBG, was found guilty of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, receiving a bribe and misapplying funds. He also was convicted of filing a false income tax return.

Batastini, a former IRS agent, was accused of receiving a bribe in 1987 from BCCI and former NBG owner Ghaith Pharaon in return for favors for BCCI, including using $600,000 of NBG money to pay interest Pharaon owed on a personal loan.

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