NAB arrests forest official

PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has arrested a senior Forest Department official for allegedly making illegal assets worth millions of rupees.
A communiqué stated that the NAB had received a complaint that Tariq Khan, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Kohistan, had accumulated huge assets in different areas of Peshawar district. These included houses, plots of land, heavy investment in different schemes and huge transactions made through his and his family members’ bank accounts.
Taking cognizance of the complaints, NAB high-ups authorised an inquiry into the matter.
The probe revealed that the accused Tariq Khan had allegedly acquired one bungalow on the University Road in Peshawar, one kanal and 13 marlas agricultural land on Warsak Road in Peshawar, two kanals and 18 marlas plot in Tehkal Payan, three kanals land in Mardan and four marlas flat at Tehkal Payan.
It further stated that the accused Tariq Khan had huge unexplained cash transactions through his bank account and that of his wife amounting to Rs29.57 million. Besides, transaction of USD 1.10 million was found in his wife’s bank account.
Meanwhile, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday filed a reference of more than Rs77 million against Nadeem Hameed Sheikh and his son Rashid Nadeem Sheikh who deprived people of their money under the cover of business.
The accountability court judge, Muhammad Asim Imam, issued notice to the accused persons. They were directed to appear before the court on April 27.The NAB prosecutor said the reference had been filed after receiving complaints from the people.
Nadeem Hameed Sheikh, CEO/Director of M/S Natover Lease and Refinance Ltd (NLRL), and Rashid Nadeem Sheikh, CEO/Director of M/s Orion IPL, were named in the reference.In this case, the prosecutor said the accused persons raised deposits from the general public illegally and misappropriated Rs77 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The general public were asked to deposit money for obtaining certificate of investments (COIs), preference finance notes (PFNs), preference security deposit receipts (PSDRs) and repo deposits security receipts (RDSRs).
Separately, the accountability court presided over by Muhammad Ibrahim sent two persons accused by NAB on judicial remand to Central Prison Peshawar after the end of their physical remand with the NAB.
The court sent Badshah Rehman and Naimat Khan to the prison. Both in the garb of Islamic mode of financing, Mudaraba, had allegedly cheated public at large and grabbed Rs24.00 million from innocent people fraudulently.
During the course of inquiry, it was revealed that the accused invited the general public to invest in a fake investment company in the name of Al-Barakah Investment Company under the garb of Mudaraba and carried out import and export of different items, including milk packs, fabrics, fridges, sewing machines, generators, vehicles turbines and engines.
The NAB claimed that the accused lured general public to hand over their hard-earned money to them on the promise that they would be paid a huge profit on their investment.After a few months the accused not only stopped paying profits but also refused to pay back the invested money to the innocent people and disappeared from the scene. The NAB KP has received claims up to Rs24.00 million against the accused so far.