NAB arrests three more accused in mining contract case

LAHORE: National Accountability Bureau on Tuesday arrested three more accused in Chiniot mining contract case.

The arrested accused include former secretary, Mines and Minerals Department, Imtiaz Ahmed, former manager operations and planning, Muhammad Aslam, and former chief inspector mines Punjab, Abdul Sattar. Previously, NAB arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Punjab Minister for Forestry, Fisheries & Wildlife Muhammad Sibtain Khan for allegedly awarding an illegal multibillion dollar contract to an alleged fake company for extracting minerals in Chiniot as the minister for Mines and Minerals in 2007.

NAB has accused former secretary Imtiaz Ahmad of constituting a committee comprising Muhammad Aslam and Abdul Sattar on the directions of then minister Sibtain Khan for approval of the said contract. During the process, former chief inspector mines Abdul Sattar provided a fake survey to the technical committee. Also, the operations manager Muhammad Aslam provided fake financial and technical figures. NAB alleged that the accused, in connivance with former minister, made a joint venture with the company. As per details, the Anti-Corruption Establishment had started a probe in 2010 into the alleged illegal contract between Earth Resource Private Limited (ERPL) and the Punjab Mineral Development Corporation (PUNJMIN), a company established under the Minerals Department. Owned by Arshad Waheed, the ERPL Company had entered into a joint venture with the PUNJMIN for exploration of iron and other minerals in December 2007.

The FIR was registered under sections 471, 468 and 420 of the PPC against seven accused including Muhammad Sibtain Khan, Imtiaz Ahmed Cheema, PUNJMIN SecretaryBasharatullah, General Manager Muhammad Aslam, Chief Inspector of Mines Mian Abdul Sattar, Technical Adviser Idrees Rizwani, owner and CEO of ERPL Arshad Waheed and others. The FIR reads that PUNJMIN, after spending Rs117.59 million, had discovered 610 million metric tonnes of iron ore in Chiniot worth $915 billion. It further stated that with the connivance of PUNJMIN, the ERPL had signed the agreement wherein the government share was agreed upon at only 20 per cent and the company was to get the remaining 80 per cent. However, the challan and inquiry into the case is still pending with the ACE despite passage of eight years.

The NAB has also started an inquiry into the case which was closed in 2013. But in January 2018, PML-N government advertised the case in newspapers requesting NAB chairman to reopen the inquiry and fix the responsibility. After which, Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal took notice and issued orders to reopen the inquiry, which led to the arrest of Muhammad Sibtain Khan.