NAB makes three arrests on corruption charges

PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday arrested Tehsinullah, NIB Bank manager, Ijaz Hussain and Ghulam Rasool owners of land on the charges of indulging in corrupt practices and kickbacks after the court dismissed their pre-arrest bail petitions.

As per the official communiqué, the NAB claimed that they were involved in corruption and corrupt practices and kickback/commission in acquisition of 840 kanal land for construction of Labour Complex of Workers Welfare Board at Mouza Shahi Bala in Peshawar and thus causing a huge loss of Rs200 million to the government exchequer.

During the course of inquiry, the bureau claimed that it was revealed that the accused Tehsinullah remained relationship manager and afterwards branch manager of NIB Bank, Shoba Chowk, in Peshawar city in the year 2012-13.

The accused, it said, in connivance with other co-accused, operated different dormant bank accounts to circulate the bribe money.

“The accused aided, abetted and facilitated other accused persons in smooth transfer of bribe/kickbacks money. The accused in connivance with other accused persons opened fake bank accounts, wherein the kickbacks amount was deposited and was further withdrawn in cash or transferred to relatives of other accused persons,” the NAB stated, adding that the bank accounts of Ibn-e-Amin, Saleem Khan and Mian Fazal Subhan were being operated by accused Tehsinullah in order to hide the trail of money.

It said that the accused landowners Ghulam Rasool and Ijaz Hussain with mala-fide intensions and ulterior motives in order to extract illegal amount from the state exchequer made underhand deal with accused Haider Ali Khan, Attorney Holder, officials of WWB and Revenue Department and sold/mutated excess land to WWB than his original share of land in Mouza Shahi Bala, Peshawar.  It said the accused Tehsinullah, manager of NIB Bank City Branch Peshawar has been arrested in another inquiry regarding corruption and corrupt practices in procurement of equipment by officials of WWB KP and others.

“The accused person opened bogus accounts in the name of various firms and operated the same with frivolous intentions. He fraudulently received huge government funds through these bank accounts from illegal contractors of WWB and got commission/kickbacks,” it was added.

The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday dismissed pre-arrest bail petition of the suspects and the NAB arrested them in the charges. The NAB will produce them before an accountability court for getting their physical remand for further interrogation.