Kohistan scam: Accused remanded in NAB custody

PESHAWAR: An accountability court here on Friday handed over Shafiqur Rehman, an employee of the Accountant General’s Office, to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on a nine-day physical remand in connection with the multi-billion-rupee Kohistan scandal.

The accused was presented before the special accountability court of Judge Zafar Khan. During the hearing, the NAB investigation officer informed the court that Shafiqur Rehman was involved in embezzling Rs36 billion by issuing fake cheques. The funds, originally deposited by contractors as security for development projects, were fraudulently withdrawn.

However, no physical development work was carried out on the ground, the court was told.

The investigation officer argued that further interrogation of the accused was necessary to recover the looted funds and identify any accomplices involved in the scam.

The court approved NAB’s request and granted a nine-day physical remand of the suspect.