LWMC ex-MD says...:NAB forcing me to become approver against Shahbaz

LAHORE: An accountability court on Wednesday handed over the Lahore Waste Management Company’s (LWMC) former managing director Waseem Ajmal to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on a 10-day physical remand in a Rs1 billion LWMC scam.

Accountability Court Judge Ameer Muhammad Khan conducted proceedings wherein Waseem Ajmalwas also produced. The NAB prosecutor submitted that the accused was a grade-20 officer and had served as the LWMC managing director. He submitted that the accused had been arrested on the charges of embezzling over Rs 1 billion in the LWMC project. He requested the court for granting 15-day remand of the accused for investigation.

However, the defence counsel opposed the remand plea and arrest of his client in the case. He submitted that Waseem would be promoted to Grade-21 after three months. The NAB prosecutor submitted that the NAB chairman’s permission is sought for the arrest of Grade-17 and above officers, in response to a court query.

Waseem Ajmal told the court that he was under NAB custody for 48 days in the Saaf Pani case but was not investigated for more than two hours. He submitted that all charges levelled against him are baseless in the LWMC case. He said NAB officials are pressurising him to become approver against former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Subsequently, the court handed over Waseem to the bureau on 10-day physical remand and directed to produce him on November 30.

According to the NAB, the contract for preparation of consultancy services was awarded to the LWMC by the city district government, Rawalpindi, in 2012. As per terms of reference of the contract, the consultants were supposed to prepare the cost estimates and pre-qualification criteria.