ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday launched an inquiry against three ex-chairmen of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) — Salman Siddique, Abdullah Yousaf and Ali Arshad Hakeem — for alleged corruption and corrupt practices and misuse of authority in award of computerisation of FBR to a foreign company M/s Agility, which caused a loss of Rs100 billion to the national exchequer through tax evasion by using PACCS (Pakistan Automated Custom Computerised System) pilot project during 2005-06 and other miscellaneous allegations.
The decision to hold the inquiry was taken in a meeting of the Executive Board of the NAB that was held here on Tuesday with Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry presiding over.Besides the three former chairmen of the FBR, ex-Collector Customs Mian Azhar Majeed, Member PACCs Team Iqbal Muneeb, and Additional Collector Customs Ashir Azeem Gill are also accused.
According to the NAB sources, the three former chairmen of the FBR, rather than presenting the case against M/s Agility in the International Court of Settlement, were focusing on settlement with the company.
According to the NAB, in this case, the accused persons are alleged of corruption and corrupt practices and misuse of authority that caused a loss of US$11 million and claim of US$650 million by M/s Agility. The award of contract and subsequent faulty working of the contractual firm led to huge losses in the clearance of customs goods at the Karachi Port.
The Executive Board of NAB authorised another inquiry against M/s Tandlianwala Sugar Mills (Pvt) Ltd & others for suspicious transaction of US $6,922,736. The third inquiry was authorised against M/S Al-Abid Silk Mills Limited, referred by the State Bank of Pakistan regarding wilful loan default of Rs479.893 million.
The fourth inquiry was authorised against M/s ACE Securities (Pvt) Ltd, a brokerage house on charges of fraud, embezzlement, corrupt practices and cheating the public at
large. The fifth inquiry was authorised against Najum Saqib, contractor of Hashmi Traders, in a case against authorities of the Education Department, Balochistan government, and others regarding misappropriation of funds allocated for purchase of furniture, reading/writing material, science equipment and repair of schools/colleges of Balochistan during FY2010-2011, thus inflicting a loss of Rs2.118 million to the national exchequer.
The Executive Board of the NAB also decided to authorise an investigation against Arshad Farooq Faheem, ex-chairman DPC, Dr. Muhammad Ali, ex-Member Pricing DPC, and others officers/ officials of the Ministry of National Regulations and Services.
In this case, the accused persons were alleged for helping in an increase in prices of drugs illegally and in violation of rules and regulations. The Executive Board decided further inquiry in a case against Dr. Nazir Mughal, ex-Vice Chancellor, Mohammad Nawaz Narejo, ex-Registrar, and Mohammad Hussian Shaikh, ex-Registrar, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, and others for misuse of authority and embezzlement of the university funds.
The executive Board of the NAB also approved application of Voluntary Return (VR) of three ex-officials of the Education Department, Govt of Balochistan, and others.
The Executive Board in an inquiry against decided that no further action was necessary due to lack of incriminating evidence against ex-management of Pakistan Television Corporation (PTVC) and others regarding illegal appointment of accused Yousaf Baig Mirza, award of contract for the purchase of IT equipment in violation of the PPRA Rules 2004, etc.