Shehbaz to appear before NAB over housing society scandal

ISLAMABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif will appear before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday (tomorrow) to answer the queries regarding the alleged misuse of authority in the award of contracts in Ashiana-e-Iqbal housing projects.

According to reports, CM Shehbaz will reach the NAB office Lahore at 10 am and record his statement before the anti-graft body. The Online quoted the sources as saying that the NAB has prepared a questioning sheet that consists of 24 questions regarding the housing projects.

The agency further stated that NAB investigation team has completed all homework regarding the scam.  Moreover, the NAB has also completed the initial investigation of this scandal and it revealed in initial investigation that mega corruption of billions of rupees had done in this. The role of house building finance corporation head would also review in this scandal.

It may be mentioned that a team of bureaucrats and legal experts was formed earlier to formulate the queries raised by the NAB in the notice sent to the CM.

The NAB’s decisions came following the complaints regarding an ‘illegal deal’ between the companies overlooking the affairs of the Paragon Housing Scheme and the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC), which allegedly involved 3,000 kanal of government land.

Earlier, the bureau had asked for the complete details of both the Ashiana housing scheme and the Paragon housing society for an investigation into the illegal housing schemes matter. It had alleged that over Rs1.2 billion loss has been caused to the national exchequer by the award of contracts in violation of the prescribed rules and regulations.

The aim of the Ashiana housing scheme – an initiative of the Punjab government, was to provide economical and adequate residential facilities to the people with low-incomes and the government had invested Rs2 billion while acquiring 672 kanal Baba Noor Shah shrine.