Case against LWMC ex-official

NAB Lahore DG summoned

By Our correspondent

LAHORE:The Lahore High Court on Wednesday summoned Director General of NAB-Lahore Shahzad Saleem on a petition by former managing director of LWMC Waseem Ajmal seeking permission to attend National Management Course being on physical remand. A two-judge bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi directed the NAB DG to appear in person after it found written reply filed by a prosecutor of the bureau unsatisfactory. The NAB had arrested Ajmal, who also served as chief executive officer of Punjab Saaf Pani Company, in Rs1 billion scam of the LWMC on November 19. The anti-corruption watchdog alleged that then chief minister Shahbaz Sharif awarded the contract in question to a Turkish company-Al-Bayrak. It said the contract on inflated rates caused a loss of over Rs1 billion to the national exchequer. It said Ajmal being MD and team leader of the LWMC held a meeting on April 26, 2014, in which he deliberately concealed details of the contract from other board members.

The NAB alleged that Ajmal was found involved in illegal payments of $96,000 in the name of fake exemptions. It said the LWMC initiated tendering process for outsourcing of Solid Waste Management Services in Rawalpindi and Murree in 2012. Ajmal in his petition before the LHC pleaded that he was due to attend the national management course for his promotion in BS-21. He said the course will continue till December 20.

He sought permission to attend the course as his fundamental right. The bench adjourned hearing till Thursday and sought personal appearance of the DG.