NAB official visits GHQ to discuss NLC, DHA scams

ISLAMABAD: After the military’s reported action against six senior officers for massive corruption, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has also been asked to speed up the probe against top former military officials involved in multi-billion National Logistics Cell (NLC) and Defence Housing Authority (DHA) scams.

According to sources, a senior NAB official visited the General Headquarters (GHQ) on Friday (22nd April) and discussed the progress on mega scams with senior military officials.Sources said the senior NAB official had been asked to accelerate the investigation into the multi-billion NLC and DHA scams. The official briefed the GHQ officials on the progress of the probe and discussed further plan of action.

Kamran Kayani, a brother of former Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, is being probed in the Rs16 billion DHA City (Lahore) scam. The junior Kayani is also being probed along with several military and civilian officials in the multi-billion DHA Valley (Islamabad) scam while two retired generals are being probed in the NLC scam.

A previous military probe into the NLC scam has already confirmed the involvement of two generals in illegal investments in the stock exchange, which caused losses of over Rs4.3 billion to the national exchequer.

As a result of the probe, former NLC Director General Maj Gen (retd) Khalid Zaheer Akhter was dismissed from the army while former top NLC official Lt-Gen (retd) Muhammad Afzal Muzaffar had been awarded ‘severe displeasure ‘severe displeasure (Recordable)’ which is a disciplinary award due to an offence of lesser degree.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed NAB to further probe the matter and submit its report with the apex court. On the other hand NAB is probing two separate cases of corruptions involving DHA Lahore and DHA Islamabad and Kamran Kayani is key accused in both mega scams. However Kamran has so far not joined NAB investigation despite repeated notices issued by the NAB. The Rawalpindi office of the Bureau has already requested the Chairman NAB Qamar Zaman Chauhdry to issue arrest warrants for Kamran.

In January this year, NAB Rawalpindi arrested two former military and a civilian officers as the main accused in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Islamabad farmhouse project scam. According to NAB officials, the accused, ex-administrator of DHA Brig (R) Javed Iqbal and ex-director project of DHA Col (R) Sabahat Qadeer Butt caused a huge amount of loss as they illegally sold non-saleable certificates of the project in violation of the contract between DHA and Elysium Holdings Pakistan Ltd.

The NAB has also launched a separate investigation against Kamran Kayani over his alleged involvement in a Rs17 billion DHA City Lahore scam. The DHA City project was launched in 2009 primarily to accommodate and facilitate the families of martyrs, war wounded and soldiers of Pakistan armed forces by allotting them small size plots in recognition of their services for the country.

Gen Kayani’s brother Kamran Kayani of Elysium Holding and Hammad Arshad of Globaco offered their services to facilitate DHA Lahore to carry out the project by acquiring land. However, they failed to deliver  plots to soldiers and families of martyrs and general public even after six years. This prompted DHA to lodge a formal complaint against Kamran Kayani and Hammad Arshad with NAB.

While contacted the senior NAB official confirmed the GHQ meeting but played it down as a routine meeting under the law. “Yes I held a meeting with the New Adjutant-General, the army's most senior administration and legal officer on Friday to brief him about the NLC and DHA Vally and City scams,” the senior NAB official told The News.

He said the NAB probe into DHA city is in advance stages and the arrest warrant for Kamran Kayani could be issued very soon as the formalities for the same has been worked out. He said Kamran is currently out of the country.