NAB forms panel to get record from GHQ

ISLAMABAD: After getting dismayed over no response from the General Headquarters (GHQ) in the last four years in the National Logistic Cell mega scam, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has formed a committee to meet officials of the Judge Advocate General Branch of Pakistan Army to get the record so that the bureau may proceed against the accused, The News has learnt on good authority.

The committee comprises two director generals of the bureau. Well-placed sources in NAB told this correspondent that DG NAB Rawalpindi and DG Operations had been assigned the task to meet the officials of JAG Branch of Pakistan Army to convince them to hand over the record of the NLC scam to the NAB so that the accused may be proceeded against. 

The sources said the two NAB DGs had been mandated to contact the JAG branch at personal level to ensure that the NAB gets the record of mega scam.

“When the GHQ has finalized its inquiry against the suspects of NLC scam and some of them have been penalized, then there should not be any hurdle in sharing the record with the NAB,” said a senior officer of the bureau. 

The bureau has been sending reminders to the GHQ on a monthly basis but there has been no response from the other side since the day one, the sources said. 

The NLC scam is included among 150 plus mega corruption cases, details of which were shared by the NAB with the apex court recently. 

Although, the GHQ completed its inquiry into the NLC scam a few months back, the required official record is not being provided to NAB for further inquiry into the matter. The NAB wants the record to inquire as to who did what in the scam. 

Even available on NAB’s website, the bureau offers the following comments in the case: “Despite repeated reminders to the NLC and the GHQ since January 2012, no reply/record was received. Further, no intimation regarding outcome of a Court of Inquiry against an army officer was shared with the NAB. As a major portion of the inquiry was being conducted at the GHQ, NAB cannot finalise/ conduct inquiry proceedings in isolation without the provision of record.”

A few months back following an internal inquiry, the GHQ fired a major general, who formerly headed the military-run National Logistics Cell (NLC), while a lieutenant general was reprimanded for his role in the case. 

A civilian was also found guilty after a five-year investigation by the army into the allegations of financial irregularities, lack of transparency and violation of rules and regulations in an investment made by the NLC in the stock markets. 

The NLC corruption involves Rs4 billion. The NLC reportedly suffered huge losses between 2004 and 2008 because of getting loans from commercial banks at high interest rates and investing Rs4 billion of pensioners’ money in stock markets.

Additionally, it was alleged that kickbacks were received from companies through which the money was invested.

Initial inquiries by the Planning Commission on the orders of the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly had pointed to the involvement of former Quartermasters General Lt Gen (retd) Khalid Munir Khan and Lt Gen (retd) M. Afzal Muzaffar, former NLC Director General Maj Gen (retd) Khalid Zaheer Akhtar and two civilians — Najibur Rehman and Saeedur Rehman. A quartermaster general, by virtue of the office, is the officer in charge of the NLC. 

Khalid Zaheer was “dismissed from service” and Afzal Muzaffar penalised with “severe displeasure (recordable)” as per the GHQ action. However, Khalid Munir was exonerated. 

Saeedur Rehman was also found guilty. It was said that Khalid Zaheer’s dismissal from service entails forfeiture of rank, decorations, medals, honours and awards, seizure of pension, recovery of personal gains and cancellation of service and allied benefits, including medical facilities.

Afzal Muzaffar was just reprimanded after being held responsible for violating procedures. He wasn’t found guilty of getting personal gains.

The case came to light when the PAC took it up in 2009 and ordered the Planning Commission to investigate it. The NLC administratively functions under the commission as an attached department. 

The findings of the commission’s inquiry were referred to the Defence Ministry in 2010 for action against the accused military officers. 

The officers had by then retired, but were recalled into service for trial under the military law. 

The Planning Commission probe had highlighted financial irregularities, lack of transparency and failure to observe rules and regulations caused by reckless decisions of chain of command of NLC.

The investigation committee of the Planning Commission had finalised its report in January 2010 and the findings were shared with the GHQ in September 2010. 

Following the receipt of findings, the then army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had decided to proceed against the accused under the Pakistan Army Act’s Section 94 instead of referring the matter to the NAB. 

An army Court of Inquiry was convened in November 2010, which reported preliminary findings to the COAS in February 2011. Subsequently, the then army chief ordered a formal investigation to allow a fair trial. 

Summaries of evidence were recorded and submitted to the army chief in 2012. Later, the incumbent army chief Gen Raheel Sharif ordered re-investigation to ensure justice and transparency. 

A committee of high-ranking officers, which re-investigated the case, evaluated the record of investments and interviewed all the witnesses before giving its findings. 

Although the GHQ has done its job, the NAB still requires the official record of the case to complete its inquiry. The scam also involves civilian officers for which the GHQ is required to cooperate with NAB.