The country’s top anti-corruption organisation has given the nod to open inquiries against former Sindh Assembly speaker Agha Siraj Durrani and Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar.
A statement issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday said the watchdog held an important meeting in which important decisions were taken on many crucial cases.
NAB’s regional board meeting was convened with the organisation’s Karachi Director General Mohammad Altaf Bawany in chair, and was attended by the directors of the watchdog’s investigation wings and the investigating teams of the relevant cases.
Agha Siraj Durrani
The meeting decided that consequent upon completion of the verification of the complaints against Durrani and deliberations on them by the regional board, NAB has authorised three separate inquiries against him.
One inquiry pertains to allegations of accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income by the former PA speaker, while the second pertains to illegal appointments of 352 appointees.
The third inquiry pertains to embezzlement of funds for the construction of the MPA Hostel and the construction of the new Sindh Assembly building, as well as the appointment of project directors for these projects.
Wasim Akhtar
On the completion of the verification process of a complaint against Akhtar, NAB has authorised a formal inquiry against the city mayor as well as officials of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC). The allegations verified prima facie pertain to the budget of Rs36 billion and the subsequent releases to the KMC between 2015 and 2018, against which work in the metropolis was allegedly not carried out worth that amount.
Iftikhar Qaimkhani
On the completion of the verification process of a complaint against Iftikhar Qaimkhani, director general of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), NAB authorised an inquiry against him over the allegations of accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income. The preliminary investigation was conducted on the basis of a clue obtained in one of the recent raids.
Pride Builders
An inquiry was also authorised against the management and owners of Pride Builders Developers, which is one of the allied companies of Rufi Builders and Developers.
The inquiry was authorised over the allegations of the cheating the people in the booking process of over 1,600 residential and commercial plots valuing more than Rs5.4 billion.
However, the building’s licence and no-objection certificate was cancelled by the SBCA. Despite that, they prima facie continued to develop and book the plots. The inquiry was authorised on the basis of complaints lodged by several allottees who claimed of having been cheated.
SITE officers
An inquiry against the managing director and other officers of the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE) Karachi was also authorised over the allegations of embezzlement of various funds and revenues of SITE. Another inquiry was authorised against the MD and other officers of SITE Karachi on the allegations of illegal allotments of plots of SITE, particularly on the Super Highway.
SSP Pir Fareed
On the completion of the verification process of a complaint against Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pir Fareed Jan Sarhandi over the allegations of illegal recruitment of 378 constables, NAB authorised an inquiry against him. The inquiry was initiated on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
At the end of the board meeting, NAB DG Bawany appreciated the performance of the watchdog’s complaint verification cell, particularly the efforts of the officers in unearthing major offences established prima facie. He issued instructions to the directors heading the investigation wings for expediting the probes purely on merit, without any discrimination and in accordance with the guidelines of NAB Chairman Justice Javed Iqbal.