KP NAB claims recovering Rs147m from corrupt in 2017

PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) claimed to have recovered Rs147 million from the corrupt in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2017.

On the other hand, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission (KPEC) couldn’t recover a single penny during the same period.

However, the KPEC claimed in its annual report that millions of rupees were saved through good governance, monitoring, inspections and preventive measures.

In 2017, the NAB KP arrested 53 suspects for their alleged involvement in corruption and corrupt practices in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, no arrest could be made by the KPEC in the last one year.

As per the NAB data available with The News, it received 3,369 complaints out of which 77 were converted into inquiries. It also converted 41 cases of corruption and corrupt practices into investigation.

The NAB KP conducted investigations into 33 cases and filed references against the suspects in accountability courts.

About the recovery of money in one year, the NAB KP claimed to have recovered Rs101 million through plea bargain, Rs26 million from case properties, Rs8 million as a result of voluntary return, Rs8 million from Pesco defaulters and Rs4 million through fines imposed by courts.

As per the NAB record, 33 references were filed in accountability courts against serving and retired government officials, including Special Secretary Home and Tribal Affairs, Siraj Ahmad.

It filed a reference of Rs 109.32 million against Siraj Ahmad, who retired from government service some months ago. The NAB KP claimed that it came to know during investigation that the suspect owned several properties in expensive localities and had bank accounts worth Rs109.3 million in his name and in the names of his benamidars.

The NAB KP filed a reference of Rs1.54 billion against the officers and officials of the Settlement and Revenue Department. It was claimed in the reference that Ali Gohar, son of Sher Muhammad, was allotted land on the basis of bogus RL-II in Peshawar.

Meanwhile, it said a piece of land in Tukra No 1 was allotted to one Syed Saeed Ahmad Shah through bogus PTD which was cancelled afterwards and then transferred in favour of Ali Gohar.

It said the evidence collected through investigation revealed that the accused fraudulently transferred state land measuring 91 kanal and eight marla through corruption and corrupt practices to private beneficiaries and caused a loss of Rs1.54 billion to the public exchequer.

On the other hand, the KPEC claimed that through good governance and preventive measures it managed to save millions of rupees in the government schemes including Rs300 million in Mardan Medical Plaza, Rs2 million in Water Supply Scheme in Karak, Rs12.8 million in On-Form Water Management in Dera Ismail Khan, Rs42.6 million in Darmalak Dam WSS in Kohat, Rs100 million in four years in the Text Book Board Peshawar and Rs66.3 million in the Mines and Mineral Department in Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera.

The KPEC filed five references against suspects in 2017. These included Insaf Food Security Programme Part-II against seven suspects causing a loss of Rs4,08,77,902, in Local Government Department against Sartaj Khan for illegal assets/properties worth Rs3,52,20,340 and in Elementary Education Foundation Department Peshawar against nine officials in the case causing losses of Rs11,69,30,000. References were also filed against Sher Ayaz and others in Gawari case of illegal Mines and Minerals of Rs8,47,96,140 and against former PML-N MNA Sardar Mushtaq along with 14 others for their alleged involvement in corruption and corrupt practices in acquisition of land for Workers Welfare Board for the construction of Labour Complex in Haripur worth Rs130 million.

However, the Ehtesab Court has yet to decide any case of corruption and corrupt practices filed by the KPEC.