ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Executive Board Meeting (EBM) on Wednesday authorised two references, seven inquiries and five investigations against various people, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif.
The EBM chaired by NAB Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal authorised filing of two corruption references against Dr Muhammad Amjad of Eden Housing Society and others. They have been accused of looting people on false promise of selling plots and consequently looting Rs25 billion from people.
The EBM accorded approval of filing of another reference against the owners of Messers Careem Business Company, Karachi and partners on the accusation of selling wheat on higher rates, thus inflicting Rs80 million losses to the national exchequer.
The EBM also approved conducting seven inquiries against various personalities, including former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif, MPA Mohsin Latif, MPA Ali Hassan Zardari, former Punjab Assembly deputy speaker Sher Ali Gorchani, PWD Gilgit Baltistan Chief Engineer Rashid Ahmed, MPA Muhammad Tahir Pervaiz, officers and officials of Auqaf department, LDA, revenue, Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Kashif Sahbai, Ahsan Sahbai, Shaheen Air International, Engineering and Aircraft Maintenance Services’ owners.
The EBM also accorded approval for conducting five investigations against various personalities, including the owners of Messers Nirala MSR Foods Limited, owners of Mian Rashid Hussain Shaheed Memorial Hospital, officials and others of Frontier Constabulary, management of Metro Corporation, Quetta, Engineer Maqbool Ahmed, former Balochistan secretary mines and minerals among others.
The EBM has decided to send the case against CDA officers to provide additional benefits to Messers PFOWA, Waheed Public Trust and Roots Millennium School to CDA for further action.
The EBM also decided to refer the case against officers/officials of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) against appointment of Pak- Austria FACHHOCHSCHULE Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology Project Director Dr Nasir Ali Khan to KP chief secretary for legal action.
EBM authorised sending case of MNA Samiul Hassan Gillani regarding the non-payment of taxes of Sami Town to FBR and matter of keeping illegal possession of 97 kanals of land to senior member of Punjab Board of Revenue for further action.
Addressing the meeting, the NAB chairman said that the anti-corruption watchdog recovered and deposited a staggering Rs71 billion of the looted wealth in the exchequer within 22 months.
Iqbal said that the bureau has been striving to recover ill-gotten money from corrupt elements, adding it has been implementing the “accountability for all” policy.
He said that corruption complaints, inquiries and investigations will be taken to their logical conclusion.
While talking to media earlier, the NAB chief had said that the anti-corruption watchdog has prioritised conclusive end of the mega corruption cases in order to eliminate financial irregularities across the country.
He said that the approximate ratio of penalising corrupt elements from the courts stands at 70 per cent while NAB is following the policy of reviewing the genre of the cases but not its fees.
“Rs71 billion has been submitted to the national exchequer which was recovered during the last 22 months and further steps are being adopted to uproot corruption. The institution has recovered billions of rupees from the illegal housing societies and returned to the affected people,” he said.
NAB deputy chairman, prosecutor general, director general accountability, DG operations, DG Rawalpindi and other senior officers attended the meeting.
