NAB okays probes against ex-sessions judge, two ex-MPAs

ISLAMABAD: The Executive Board of the NAB Tuesday approved investigations against former sessions judge Khizar Hayat and others.

Besides this, it also approved holding of investigations against former deputy speaker Punjab Assembly Sher Ali Gorchani and ex-MPA Ahmed Khan Baloch.

According to NAB sources, the NAB Executive Board converted inquiry against ex-sessions judge Khizer Hayat into investigations to probe allegedly having assets beyond known source of income.

The Executive Board’s meeting was chaired by NAB Chairman Justice Javed Iqbal (retd) at the NAB Headquarters Tuesday and was attended by deputy chairman, prosecutor general Accountability, director general Operations and other senior officers. The Executive Board accorded approval of conducting five inquiries against different personalities including Muhammad Naeem Anwar, former MPA, Muhammad Saleem Khalid Mehmood and others, directors, CEOs of M/s Fatima Group of Companies, attached departments and others, Tahir Basharat Cheema, former managing director PEPCO and others, Federal Land Commission, officers/officials and others of Revenue Department Haroonabad, Bahawalnagar, Dr Fazal Karim, former EDO health Khanewal and others. The Board has referred the ongoing inquiry against MNA Ahsanul Haq Bajwa, officers/officials of Public Health Engineering to Public Health Engineering, Punjab Highway Department with the condition to share the logical conclusion of the inquiry with the NAB. It has referred another inquiry against Muhammad Yasin, former tehsil nazim Haroonabad, to deputy commissioner, tehsil Haroonabad, on the condition to share the logical conclusion of the inquiry with the NAB.

It also authorised constituting Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate against Muhammad Yasin, former tehsil nazim, Haroonabad, Ghazala Shaheen, former member Punjab Assembly, Ghulam Murtaza, former member provincial assembly, Azam Sohail son of Fateh Muhammad and others.

The JIT comprising representatives of the NAB, SECP, FBR, FIA and State Bank has been mandated to complete the inquiry within the next 90 days. The Executive Board will analyse the JIT report. It okayed referring the ongoing inquiry against Sardar Umer Khan Gopang, chairman District Council Muzaffargarh, Aamir Saleem Bhatti, former chief officer, District Council Muzaffargarh and others to Anti-Corruption Establishment, Punjab, with the condition that the relevant department will share the logical conclusion of inquiry with the NAB. It also okayed referring inquiry against Dr Athar Mehboob, vice chancellor Khawaja Farid University, Rahim Yar Khan, and others to Higher Education Department, Punjab, with the condition to inform about the logical conclusion of referred case. It also authorised referring inquiry against officers/officials of Revenue Department tehsil Chobara, district Layyah and others to senior member Board of Revenue, Punjab, with the condition to inform about the logical conclusion of the inquiries to the NAB. While addressing the meeting, NAB Chairman Justice Javed Iqbal (retd) said the anti-graft body is making sincere efforts to make Pakistan corruption-free and to ensure logical conclusion of mega corruption cases. “The NAB has no affiliation with any political party, individual or group. The only affiliation is with the state of Pakistan,” he added. He said the NAB is utilising all available resources to recover the looted money from corrupt elements and to deposit in national exchequer. Proclaimed offenders and absconders will be apprehended and will be brought to justice as per law.

He directed all the NAB’s bureaus to complete complaint verifications, inquiries and investigations within the stipulated timeframe of 10 months so that references against corrupt elements could be filed in accountability courts across the country as per law.