–Accountability court grants 15-day physical remand of accused
LAHORE: Following the directions of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice Javed Iqbal regarding the enforcement of “Accountability for All” policy, NAB Lahore on Tuesday took custody of former Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) chairman Asif Akhtar Hashmi and after producing the same before an accountability court acquired his physical remand till April 4, 2018.
According to a NAB Lahore spokesperson, the investigations so far have revealed Asif’s involvement in corruption cases while he served as the head the ETPB as well as Investment Committee chairman, and that the accused misused his conferred authority and bypassed all defined prerequisites for investment with any company or other private entity, by approving illegal investments worth billions with M/s High Links (Pvt) Limited.
According to further details, the accused chaired all Investment Committee meetings, held during the years 2009 and 2012, in which hefty amounts had been approved for illegal investments, and signed minutes of all the meetings while being the ETPB chairman which caused a huge loss to the national exchequer.
The accused also intentionally kept the concerned ministry in dark and misappropriated millions of rupees. By misusing of his authority, Asif selected M/s High Links for investment in order to extend undue financial gratifications to the same under alleged connivance of the co-accused without any regard to the law, the spokesman said.
NAB Lahore has already arrested former vice chairman and ex-secretary along with others in the same case of embezzlement, and the bureau’s officials have taken a physical remand of Asif Akhtar Hashmi till April 4, 2018, to further continue the investigation.
