ISLAMABAD: Deputy Chairman Senate Salim Mandviwalla Thursday appeared before the Combined Investigation Team (CIT) of the National Accountability Bureau, Rawalpindi and recorded his statement on a private housing society related to the fake bank accounts scandal.
The CIT summoned Mandviwalla in illegal allotment of plots of Overseas Cooperative Housing Society Ltd (Kidney Hill) and its payment from fake bank accounts.
The CIT sought the record of sale of plots from Mandviwalla, who told the CIT that the assistance was provided to Aijaz Haroon, but he had no link with the transfer of money, as it was a business transaction.
Talking to reporters after the appearance, Mandviwalla said the NAB had drifted away from its mandate, as rather than focusing on corruption, it was focusing on businesses and private transactions.
Mandviwalla said talks were going on in the past to amend the NAB laws but these amendments could only be made through a consensus. He said the NAB only focused on businesses and private transactions, which did not come within its ambit.
Giving details of his appearance in the NAB, Mandviwalla said the NAB opined that ‘we are beneficiary in the case’. “We have had friendship with Aijaz Haroon for the last 35 years and assisted him in the land deal, but we have no link with the money transaction,” he said.
He said transaction was a private matter and did not fall within the purview of the NAB. “There was fear in the business community, as they thought that if they made any business transaction, then the NAB will come to question them,” he said. It is to be mentioned that the NAB Rawalpindi had arrested accused Mohammad Aijaz Haroon, former chairman of the Pakistan International Airlines, in the same scandal.