National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has revealed that an amount of Rs 2.31 billion recovered from the possession of former finance secretary Mushtaq Raisani was embezzled in connivance of former advisor finance Mir Khalid Langov.
An official document of NAB Balochistan, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today, says that during the budget year 2015-16, an amount of Rs. 6 billion was allocated as grant-in-aid to the local councils for salary, non-salary and development.
NAB (Balochistan) received information through some sources that huge amount was being released to only two Municipal Committees (M.C), out of 726 different offices (one metropolitan corporation, five municipal corporations, 32 District Councils, 53 Municipal Committees and 635 Union Councils) of the local government.
Even though the annual budget was to be allocated to all the local councils of Balochistan as per their needs and development requirements, but the then Advisor Finance Mir Khalid Langov allocated most of the developmental budget to the municipal committees, Khaliqabad and Mach.
Hence, the NAB authorised an inquiry specific to the release of development budget to above said two municipal committees.
During the inquiry, it was revealed that an amount of Rs2.31 billion had been released to these two constituencies. Mir Khalid Langov in connivance with Mushtaq Ahmad Raisani and Administrator Saleem Shah adopted a new modus operandi for embezzlements of the development funds.
The investigation revealed that a grant of Rs2.31 billion had been directly credited into the accounts of Chief Officer Saleem Shah, MC Mach and MC Khaliqabad, bypassing the Local Government Department, Balochistan.
These funds were released on the direct demands of Chief Officer/Administrator Mach /Khaliqabad with the approval of secretary Finance Department and advisor Finance Department.
It was established during the course of the investigation that funds amounting to Rs 2.24 billion had been embezzled which were later distributed among the accused Sohail Majeed Shah, front-man of Advisor Finance, Mushtaq Raisani, Secretary Finance and Saleem Shah, Chief Officer MC Mach/MC Khaliqabad.
Saleem Shah was arrested who revealed that the releases were made into four accounts and then were transferred to six benami accounts of Saleem in the names of fake contractors. The contractors have surrendered their eleven properties worth over one billion, located in DHA Karachi, to the NAB.
Saleem, after keeping his share used to transfer the share of Langov into different accounts of his front-man Sohail Majeed. According to him, Raisani always received his share in cash/local and foreign currency.
As a reward, he succeeded in getting all the road contracts and development schemes in Kalat district. Tariq Ali, XEN B&R was also arrested who stated that he was appointed in Kalat by the finance advisor and he used to pay kickbacks to him through his front man.
He admitted receiving of commission amounting Rs10 million in different contracts from the contractors. The money he received as the commission has been returned.
Further, Nadeem Iqbal, the accountant of MC Khaliqabad was also arrested who admitted that he received Rs3 million from the account of MC Khaliqabad, which has also been returned to the NAB.