NAB to grill Agha Siraj Durrani, Wasim Akhtar for corruption

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ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has given a go-ahead to its investigators and initiated inquiries against former Sindh Assembly speaker Agha Siraj Durrani and Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar over allegations of corruption and embezzlement of funds.

The Regional Board Meeting was held at NAB headquarter on Thursday under the Chairmanship of NAB Karachi Director General Mohammad Altaf Bawany.

The board was attended by members of the investigating teams of the concerned cases. The bureau approved several high profile inquiries during the meeting.

After the completion of complaint verification process regarding Durrani, his case was deliberated upon by the regional board which recommended for authorisation of three separate inquiries against him.

One inquiry pertains to the allegations of accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income by former speaker; second allegation pertains to illegal appointments of 352 appointees; while the third allegation pertains to embezzlement of funds for the construction of MPA Hostel and construction of new Sindh Assembly building, including appointment of project directors for the said projects. The recommendation was made to the competent authority on the basis of exhaustive verification of the complaints.

Similarly, on completion of the complaint verification process on a complaint, a recommendation was made to the competent authority for authorising formal inquiry against Akhter and officials of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC). The allegations prima facia verified pertain to the budgeted amount of Rs 36 billion and subsequent releases to the KMC during years 2015 to 2018 against which allegedly work in Karachi was not carried out worth the said amount.

OTHER INQUIRIES:

On conclusion of Complaint Verification process on a complaint, a recommendation was made to the competent authority for authorisation of formal inquiry against Iftikhar Qaimkhani, DG of Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) on the allegations of accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income.  The preliminary probe was conducted on the basis of a identification in one of the raids conducted recently.

An inquiry was authorised against management and owners of Pride Builders and Developers which is one of the allied companies of Rufi Builders and Developers.

The inquiry was authorised on the allegations of cheating public at large for booking of more than 1,600 residential and commercial plots valuing more than Rs 5,400 million (approx) in the names of several allottees. However, the building license and NOC was canceled by the SBCA, despite that, prima facia, they continued to develop and book the plots. The inquiry was authorised on the basis of complaints lodged by several such allottees who have been cheated.

An inquiry was authorized against Managing Director and other officers of Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE) Karachi on the allegations of embezzlement of various funds and revenues of SITE.

Another inquiry was authorized against Managing Director and other officers of Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE) Karachi on the allegations of illegal allotments of plots of SITE, particularly on Super Highway.

On completion of the inquiry, a recommendation was made to the competent authority for authorisation of the investigation against SSP Pir Fareed Jan Sarhandi on the allegations of the illegal recruitment of 378 constables. The inquiry was initiated on the orders of the Supreme Court.

NAB DG Mohammad Altaf Bawany, at the end of board meeting, appreciated the performance of the Complaint Verification Cell particularly for the efforts of officers in unearthing major offences prima facie established. He issued instructions to the directors heading the investigation wings for expediting the investigative work purely on merit, without any discriminating and as per the guidelines of NAB Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal.