Grand Hyatt scam: FIA probe clears all suspects in Rs25 billion scam

ISLAMABAD: The Grand Hyatt scandal has taken a new direction following a U-turn by the FIA from its earlier investigations. The new corruption inquiry of the Rs25 billion scam cleared all the accused and the FIA acquitted all of them including the former CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari.

According to the CDA sources, the FIA had submitted a challan of corruption of Rs25 billion in the Grand Hyatt case and its FIR was registered on May 2, 2017.

This FIR was registered against former CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari, former Member Planning Brig (retd) Nusrat Ullah, former Member Finance Kamran Qureshi, former Member Admin Shoukat Ali, former Member Engineering Mian Moinud Din Kakakhel, former Director Estate Habib Gilani and Dr Faisal Awan.

The FIA in its challan had declared it to be a scandal worth Rs 25 billion and alleged that the land was allotted for the Grand Hyatt Hotel in connivance with the CDA officers. The person allotted the land deposited only 15 per cent of the total cost and even then he was allowed to seek a huge bank loan.

The allottee, instead of building service apartments, built luxury apartments and sold them. In accordance with the agreement the hotel was not built rather the apartments were constructed. The plot allottee did not even return the bank guarantees.

The BCS cancelled the lease of the plot and the CDA tried to take possession of it. The owners of the apartments went to the court but the Islamabad High Court upheld the cancellation of the Grand Hyatt Hotel lease. But it ordered the CDA to return the amount to the owners. Now when the CDA was prepared to submit a plan to the High Court, the FIA has announced its new inquiry report.

An impartial inquiry was conducted on the orders of the prime minister. It was conducted by Captain (retd) Muhammad Shoaib. The DG FIA Muhammad Bashir sent the inquiry report to the Attorney General of Pakistan who dispatched the report to the Chairman CDA.