The country’s top anti-graft body National Accountability Bureau (NAB), on Friday gave a clean chit to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, closing an investigation against the senator for the misuse of authority and possessing assets beyond known source of income.
According to an official handout issued by the NAB, this decision was taken by NAB’s elite decision-making body, the executive board meeting (EBM). A day earlier, NAB chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry had ordered a major reshuffle in the Bureau, transferring around a dozen senior officers.
A probe against Ishaq Dar was reportedly launched in 2001. According to the data available on NAB’s official website, the case against Dar was initiated on the complaint of an informer in 2000 and direct investigation had been authorised on February 11, 2000 for over Rs 23 million (3.488 million British Pounds and $ 1,250 million).
A source in the NAB told Pakistan Today that the case was closed due to “immense pressure” from the high-ups despite the fact that enough material was available against the top Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader. The source however refused to reveal if the pressure was from within the NAB or from the federal government.
“The investigation was in an advanced stage when it was frozen in the year 2001 on order of the then NAB authorities over unknown reasons,” the source said requesting anonymity.
Asked why the case had been lingered for 16 long years if there was not much evidence available against the federal minister, the NAB source said that the NAB was a very professional institution and if there had been nothing, the case won’t have been carried more than a few weeks.
The case against Ishaq Dar was also reflected in the list of “mega corruption” cases submitted with the apex court. Dar’s case was initially to be concluded by Dec 15, 2015, but the NAB had further extended the deadline to February 29, 2016, and ultimately closed it on Friday.
But, Dar is not the only beneficiary of the case closed by the NAB, as its statement added that investigation had also been closed against Mir Abdul Karim Nousherwani, former minister for Excise and Taxation, Balochistan.
The investigation against Nousherwani was pending for closure since 1999. He was elected on a Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) ticket from PB-46 Kharan, Balochistan, in 2013. However, soon afterwards, Nousherwani along with other party lawmakers supported the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) nominee as the chief minister.
Moreover, investigation against Zahid Anwar, the chief executive of M/s Zeeshan Energy Limited of Faisalabad and Rukhsana Begum, its director, was also closed due to “lack of incriminating evidence”.
REFERENCES TO BE FILED:
The meeting of NAB’s executive board also decided to file five corruption references. The first reference is to be filed against Arshad Farooq Faheem & others. In this case, the accused persons were alleged of increasing prices of drugs illegally, causing a loss of Rs 692.96 million to the national exchequer.
The second corruption reference will be filed against Asfandyar Kakar, ex- Food minister, Balochistan, and others. In this case, the accused persons were alleged of embezzlement in government wheat amounting to Rs 466.914 million from the Provincial Reserve Center Pishin, Balochistan.
The third corruption reference will be filed against Muhammad Aslam Butt, ex-mayor, Municipal Corporation, Gujranwala, and others. In this case, the accused persons were accused of misusing authority and awarding a contract to M/s Rathore Enterprises on higher rates, causing a loss of millions of rupees to the state kitty.
The fourth corruption reference is to be filed against Dr Ihsan Ali, the vice chancellor of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan and others. In this case, the accused persons were alleged of misusing authority by making illegal appointments of 652 officials on contract/temporary basis that too without advertisements and completing all procedural formalities as per law. This caused a loss of Rs 462 million to the national exchequer.
The fifth corruption reference is to be filed against Syed Mussarrat Abbas, former additional secretary, Senate Secretariat, Islamabad and others. In this case, the accused persons were accused of misuse of authority, criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of funds of Senate Secretariat Employees Cooperative Housing Society, causing a loss of millions of rupees to the state exchequer.
The EBM also decided to re-authorise an investigation against officers/officials of the Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO), Trust Investment Bank Limited (TIBL), Multan and others. In this case, the accused persons were alleged of misappropriating, obtaining pecuniary benefits, misuse of authority, causing Rs 297.289 million losses to the national exchequer.
Also, the meeting decided to authorise two inquiries. The first inquiry was authorised against Shafqat Shah Shirazi, ex-MNA and Ejaz Shah Shirazi, ex-MPA from Thatta, Sindh for accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income.
The second inquiry was authorised against Dost Muhammad, Rahimoo, Minister for Zakat and Ushr, Sindh and others. In this case, the accused persons were alleged of accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income, misappropriation in distribution of wheat in Chachro taluka and Dhali area in Sindh and misuse of authority, causing a loss of Rs 500 million to the state kitty.
Meanwhile the EBM decided to close an inquiry against Gohar Ejaz, CEO and others, inquiry against Israr Rauf, Member FATE, FBR and others and Tariq Shafi, account holder of Standard Chartered Bank, Main Branch, Karachi due to lack of incriminating evidence.
NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry said that the NAB was committed to eradicating corruption by adopting zero-tolerance policy through awareness, prevention and enforcement strategy across the board. He directed all officers/officials of the NAB to work with more dedication and ensure transparency in conduct of complaint verifications, inquiries and investigations against corrupt in accordance with the NAB laws and SOPs (standard operating procedures).
