The Combined Investigation Team (CIT) of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday grilled the incumbent chairman of NAB and former secretary Interior Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, former Secretary Establishment Abdul Rauf Chaudhry and former director general of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Malik Muhammad Iqbal for investigation into the National Investment Corporation Limited (NICL) scam tasked by Supreme Court of Pakistan to the NAB.
It is a rare occasion for the NAB to investigate its own head as Qamar Zaman Chaudhry is a serving chairman of the bureau. He had left on leave following the court verdict in the NICL scam.
On November 22, the apex court in its verdict in the NICL case had ordered action against NAB chief Qamar Zaman Chaudhry for “abusing his authority” as a civil servant and also “incriminating a whole bunch of top bureaucrats”, some of them still serving, as well as a senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) politicians responsible for the crime warranting cases against them in relation to the case.
The damning indictment came in a 52-page detailed verdict in the Rs1.68 billion NICL scam as well as contempt of court charges against senior government officials, including the NAB chairman. Soon after the court ruling, the NAB chairman went on indefinite leave and authorised deputy chairman Saeed Ahmed Sargana to act as chairman of the bureau.
The CIT comprising of the NAB investigators and representatives of the Police and SECP investigated the accused for more than two hours each and also sought written reply to the allegations against them which they have submitted.
“The accused were asked tough questions in accordance with their respective role in the in the NICL scam,” said an official handout.
The Combined investigation team has also issued notice to the former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to appear for investigations before the team today (Wednesday). Gilani did not appear before NAB for more than two occasions despite notices served by the NAB in the appointment of former chairman of OGRA Tauqir Sadiq.
Investigation team also issued notice to the former principal secretary to the prime minister Khushnood Akhter Lashari but he did not appear before the team being abroad and the notice has been retuned un-served. Former additional director general FIA Zafar Ahmed Quershi, also appeared before the investigation team to respond different questions about the case.
“The team is determining the role of other accused and notice would be issued to them accordingly for the purpose of investigation without any exception,” the statement added.
Edited by: M Ahmad Tauqir
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