In a major breakthrough, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has approved a plea bargain request of Rs 199 million made by former chairman of Water & Power Development Authority, Lt General (r) Zahid Ali Akbar.
A reference against Akbar was filed by NAB in an accountability court in July 2006 for owning assets worth Rs 268 million which were not in accordance with his legal sources of income. However, the former Wapda chief fled the country and the court declared him as proclaimed offender in 2007. Since then, he has been on the run.
However, NAB got the former military general detained in May this year in Bosnia through Interpol. But since Zahid Ali Akbar was a British national, the British embassy in Bosnia provided him legal help to wriggle him out of his trouble. The former general was later extradited to United Kingdom.
“General (r) Zahid Ali Akbar is an old man. He is now 85 years old. Since he wants to spend his last years in Pakistan, he has offered to return the money he got through illegal means. NAB has accepted his plea bargain offer,” a well-placed source in the NAB told Pakistan Today.
