NAB Board approves 15 inquiries against Shahbaz Sharif, Rana Sana, others

ISLAMABAD: The Executive Board of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Tuesday approved a fresh inquiry against the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and President PML-N Shahbaz Sharif for allegedly illegally allotting the land of the Punjab Development Authority.

The board also approved inquiries and investigations against the PPP senior leader Nisar Khuro, ex-federal minister Balighur Rehman, PML-N senior leader Rana Sanaullah Khan, Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, Senator Anwarul Haq, ex-MPA Sindh Assembly Abdul Rauf Khoso, ex-MPA Punjab Muhammad Aslam Islam and others. Chaired by Chairman Justice (retd) JavedIqbal, the executive board gave approval for filing six corruption references, three investigations and 15 inquiries against politicians, public office holders and bureaucrats.

It also authorized transfer of inquiry into moving Rs1.1 trillion by Pakistanis to Dubai without declaring to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for further action as per law. The board also decided to file a corruption reference against ex-chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme Ms Farzana Raja for allegedly illegally awarding advertisement contract to four advertising agencies in violation of PPRA rules, causing a loss of Rs1.46 billion to the national exchequer.

The NAB also approved an investigation into assets beyond known sources of income owned by the PML-N MNA Rana Sanaullah. The board approved a reference against Brigadier (retd) Sikandar Javed and others for allegedly awarding clean drinking water programme contracts in a non-transparent manner, inflicting financial losses on the national exchequer.

The board authorised a reference against chief executive officer of UNAICO Private Limited Dean Ganarbajarnay Anderson, Atif Kamran and others for inflicting Rs190 million losses on the national exchequer.

The board approved another corruption reference against Ali Ahmed Lund and others for illegally employing 13,000 persons in local governments of Sindh, causing huge financial losses to the national exchequer.

It also authorised a reference against Muhammad Ismael Gujjar, former member provincial assembly/chairman Quetta Development Authority, and others. They have been accused of illegally allotting different welfare plots situated in Satellite Town Quetta to government servants, causing Rs10.42 million loss to the national exchequer.

The board authorised a corruption reference against Ali Gul Kurd, Director General, Finance, Quetta, for amassing assets unmatched to his known sources of income. The board also approved three investigations against Nisar Ahmed Khuro, former food minister Sindh and others, officers/officials of CDA and others, Muhammad Tufail Qazi, former accountant, Pakistan Embassy, Sofia, and others.

The board authorized 15 inquiries against former Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, former MNA Balighur Rehman, Chaudhry Umer Mehmood Advocate, Bahawalpur, officers/officials of Cholistan Development Authority, Nisar Ahmed Khuro, Rana Sanaullah Khan MNA, Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani, Senator Anwarul Haq, Abdul Rauf Khoso and others, former member Provincial Assembly, Rahim Yar Khan, Muhammad Ikram Aslam, Cholistan Development Authority, and Revenue Department, officers/officials of Liaquat Pur and others, Chaudhry Masood Ahmed, former member Provincial Assembly, Faisal Mukhtar Sheikh, former district Nazim, Multan and others, officials/officers of Capital Administration and Development Division and others, Abdul Razaq Memon and others, owners of Cantt View Housing Society, Sialkot and others, officers/officials of Roshan Pakistan Solar Programme and others and employees and others of Revenue department, Naushero Feroze and others.

The board authorized closing inquiries against officers/officials of Messers Civic Centre, Company Private Limited, officials and others of Ministry of Commerce, officers/officials, management and others of Tourism Development Corporation, Punjab, Zafar Ali Leghari, former Minister for Railways and others due to absence of evidence as per law.

The board authorized sending inquiry against officials/officers and management of Bahawalpur Waste Management Company to secretary Local Government Punjab for further action.

It approved sending an inquiry against officers/officials of Workers Welfare Board, Punjab to the Federal Board of Revenue for further action as per law.

The board authorized sending inquiry against Dr Hafeezullah, former vice chancellor Khairpur Medical University, Peshawar, Dr Fazl-e-Maubood, former registrar, Khairpur Medical University, Peshawar and others to governor/chancellor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for further action.

It also authorized conducting a special audit of misappropriation in government funds by the Auditor General of Pakistan for special audit.

The board authorized an inquiry against officers/officials of Natty MA Town One, Peshawar and others to Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for further action. It authorized sending investigations against Syed Nasir Ali Shah, former member National Assembly, and others to Cantonment Board, Quetta, for further action.

The board authorized investigations against Irfan Bashir, former member Provincial Assembly, Balochistan, and others to Anti-Corruption, Balochistan for further action.

Speaking on the occasion, Justice Javed Iqbal said NAB’s priority was to eradicate corruption, recover the looted money and taking mega corruption cases to logical conclusion. He said the NAB had recovered Rs73 billion directly or indirectly in the last 25 months.

“The faith of NAB is a corruption-free Pakistan. The conviction ratio of the NAB is 70 percent,” he said. He said the NAB had filed 630 references with the accountability courts while 1,270 corruption references of Rs910 billion were pending with the accountability courts.