Youth Festival graft case adjourned

LAHORE:An accountability court on Monday adjourned the hearing of Punjab Youth Festival corruption case by April 20 as National Accountability Bureau (NAB) again failed to file reference.

The court has directed NAB to file the reference and adjourned the hearing. It is pertinent to mention that nine months back, the NAB had arrested former Punjab DG Sports Board Usman Anwer. Later, Usman secured bail from the Lahore High Court. However, NAB has failed to file reference despite passing nine months.

The NAB had arrested former DG Sports Board Punjab Usman Anwer over the charges of allegedly embezzling funds of the Punjab Youth Festival and violating PPRA rules in awarding contracts. The details shared by the NAB on the arrest of Usman Anwer said that the Punjab government had arranged the Punjab Youth Festival in 2011 and 2012. Millions of rupees were embezzled during both rounds of the festival.

Moreover, the NAB has accused Usman of violating Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules in awarding contracts worth millions of rupees. Later, the NAB had arrested five more persons in the case.