Islamabad
After Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s remarks on NAB’s plea bargaining law, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has also termed it a fraud.
Chairman Tehreek-e-Insaaf Imran Khan has also supported the point of view of Interior Chaudhry Nisar for the appointment of chairman NAB through higher judiciary. Majority of politicians have firm believe that most of the criminals get benefit through existing legal lacunae in NAB laws.
Examining the official documents, it was revealed that the corrupt and criminals who embezzled billions of rupees from national exchequer get a safe exit after paying peanuts in millions.
According to official reports, 146 corrupt people called for plea bargaining. They had to pay over Rs12 billion but NAB failed to recover the amount from them despite having plea bargaining.
According to available documents from the year 2008 to June 30, 2015, it was revealed that during the last seven years, 418 persons involved in illegal use of powers against the rules, heavy kick back in contracts and receiving the commission and embezzlement in government funds, national exchequer, caused a loss of Rs35.93 billion and the NAB recovered only Rs5.40 billion from them.
According to NAB Director Operations Zahir Shah, NAB recovered Rs45.37 billion through Voluntarily Return Scheme (VRS) since its inception. The NAB since its inception in November 1999 has made a plea bargain with the 917 accused persons.
In the recent years, the NAB has made the plea bargain in mega cases that include contractor Cahdury Abdul Latif, against whom the NAB has taken action against in contract of carpeting of Metal Road of National Highway in 2014 and he was accused of embezzlement of Rs240.94 million.
The accused has made a plea bargain and deposited the first installment of Rs80.48 million. Under the plea bargaining, anyone who opted for it is not eligible for any government contract but now he was a chief contractor of Punjab government in Orange Line Project and the NAB still wanted to take action against him.
In 2016, NAB made plea bargain with Sheikh Muhammad Afzal of Haris Steels Mills of Rs340.42 million but the accused failed to submit Rs250 million.
Former Chairman of Wapda Lt Gen (R) Zahid Ali Akbar had made a plea bargain with the NAB of Rs200 million and deposited all the money and after depositing the money he was allowed to return to the county.
Syed Masoom Shah, special assistant of ex-chief Minister KP, who was known as SMS, made a plea bargain of Rs250.8 million with the NAB and paid Rs220.5 million.
Gazni Khan, brother of ex-CM KP and his another relative Raza Ali Khan made a plea bargain with the NAB of Rs220.4 million in KP police weapons and so far Rs190.50 million has been deposited.
The NAB has taken action against 11 pharmaceutical companies after they raised prices of the life saving drugs and accepted the plea bargaining of Rs1.18 billion and so far received only Rs700 million.
In the Musharraf regime, Tawana Pakistan project was started to provide milk for children in schools through foreign aid and millions of funds were embezzled and in this project. Project Director Irfanullah, Tanveer Manji and Shahzia Mughees agreed to pay Rs120.49 million as a plea bargain and so far only Rs60 million was recovered.
Recently, an amount of Rs960 million was recovered from Sohail Majeed Shah besides confiscating 11 properties which included houses in DHA and Clifton in Karachi. Rs10 million was recovered from Rehmat Khan, an XEN who was also involved in the same case. Similarly, Rs653.2 million, three and a half kilo gold, two Mercedes cars, two houses which had been purchased with the plundered money had also been impounded.
NAB recovered Rs3.5 billion from the ill-famed ‘Double Shah’ and returned the money to as many as 28,899 affected people who were lured by him. Mufti Ahsan who had deprived thousands of people of Rs8 billion in the ‘Modarba Companies Scandal’ had been sent to jail without involving them in plea bargain, therefore most of the affected people in the scam still remain high and dry as their money has not been returned to them.
According to the NAB report that was submitted in the Supreme Court and the NAB’s annual report for year 2015, in last 16 years, 285 persons reached plea bargaining with the NAB and these people agreed to make payment of only Rs5.3 billion out of Rs15 billion and end up paying only Rs2.7 billion so far.
Surprisingly those 1080 persons who opted for Voluntarily Return Scheme with making commitment to refund Rs 12.8 billion but they so far deposited Rs 9 billion so far which clearly means that NAB has recovered 73 percent amount without efforts and if the total amount of voluntarily Return and Plea Bargain it translated into Rs 15.7 billion which the NAB has recovered.
The NAB’s statistics shows that 151 persons made the agreement with the NAB but later on they did not paid and they are defaulter of Rs18.4 billion.
According to Geo News investigation, if the estimates made on the basis of ration of savings rates, then surprising figures come as if Rs15.7 billion was kept in account of any bank for 15 years, it would be around Rs31 billion and more profit will be earned if it invested in any investment scheme.
If the amount of Rs15.7 billion is invested in Karachi Stock Exchange and in 15 years, it may be translated into Rs364.8 billion and if Rs15.7 billion is invested in gold then in 15 years the prices of god would reach Rs63 billion.
And if the amount of Rs15.7 billion is invested in treasury bills of the different banks, then it could be Rs58 billion and if this amount is invested in the defense saving certificates then it could be over Rs73 billion and if the amount of Rs15.7 billion is invested in the mutual funds then in 15 years it would be translated into Rs492 billion.
While if the amount of Rs 15.7 billion be invested in dollar then it could be reached to Rs 28 billion in 15 years and if invested in the Pakistan Investment Bonds then in 15 year with the increase of 302 percent it would be translated into Rs 63 billion.
According to available documents, the person who opted for plea bargain with the NAB in last 7 years to get a safe exit included Masood Riaz Wahla, Chief Executive Capital Management Lahore. He made a plea bargain of Rs350.4 million and deposited Rs230.8 million.
Munir Khalid, ex-Incharge Crecent Commercial Bank Lahore, made a plea bargain of Rs40.45 million and deposited Rs29,5 million. Haroon Ahmed, Director Rauf International Lahore, made a plea bargain of Rs2.5 billion and deposited Rs20.59 million.
Wajid Naseem Rana, chief executive Stockage Lahore, made a plea bargain of Rs20.97 million and deposited Rs8.6 million. Raja Azizur Rehman, a loan defaulter, made a plea bargain of Rs10.12 million while deposited amount was Rs2.4 million.
The concerns were justified for removing the legal lacunae in the NAB laws and it is only parliament that cam make a legislation for the strong accountability process.
