NAB recovers Rs23b in fake accounts cases

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau Rawalpindi has recovered Rs 23 billion in fake accounts cases directly and indirectly.

A meeting to review the performance of the NAB Rawalpindi was held with justice (retd) Javed Iqbal in the chair on Wednesday and was attended by Deputy Chairman NAB Hussain Asghar, Prosecutor General Accountability (PGA) Syed Asghar Haider, DG Operations NAB Zahir Shah, DG NAB Rawalpindi Irfan Naeem Mangi and other senior officers at the NAB Headquarters.

DG NAB Rawalpindi Irfan Naeem Mangi informed that the Accountability Court Islamabad has approved plea bargain of accused Zain Malik, director, M/s Bahria Town (Pvt) Limited, of over Rs 9 billion (Rs 9,050,554,034) in six cases investigated by the NAB Rawalpindi. The said plea bargain is more than Rs 9 billion which is the highest plea bargain in the history of the NAB.

According to details, investigation u/s 18 (c) of NAO, 1999 and u/s 24 of AMLA 2010 against the holder(s) of public office, legal persons and others involved in fake bank accounts scam vide case FIR No 04/2018 dated 06-07-2018 registered at FIA SB Circle, Karachi and State Vs Hussain Lawai & other (Ref No 02/2019 transferred from Banking Court Karachi) and the liability determined at Rs 2,129,789,550/- Second, Investigation u/s 18 (c) of NAO 1999 and u/s 24 of AMLA, 2010 against the holder(s) of public office, legal persons and others involved in fake bank accounts scam regarding misuse of authority in illegal allotment/regularization of government land in favour of M/s Pink Residency and others at Rs 1,563,019,920/- State Vs Khwaja Abdul Ghani Majeed & others (Ref No 04/2019) and the liability determined at Rs 1,563,019,920/- Third, investigation u/s 18 (c) of NAO 1999 and u/s 24 of AMLA 2010 against Manzoor Kadir, DG Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) Karachi and others in State Vs Manzoor Qadir Kaka, DG SBCA & others (Ref No 14/2019) and liability determined at Rs 200,000,000/-

Fourth, investigation u/s 18 (c) of NAO 1999 and u/s 24 of AMLA 2010 against the holder(s) of public office, legal persons and others involved in fake bank accounts scam regarding transaction of Rs 8.3 billion from Bahria Town Through Joint Account of APS Mushtaq Ahmed and Zain Malik into fake accounts and liability determined at Rs 31,794,564/-

Fifth, Investigation u/s 18 (c) of NAO, 1999 and u/s 24 of AMLA 2010 against the holder(s) of public office, legal persons and others involved in fake bank accounts scam regarding taking Rs 1.22 billion kickbacks in JV Opal-225 by Zardari Group and liability determined at Rs 170,000,000/-

Sixth, Investigation u/s 18 (c) of NAO, 1999 and u/s 24 of AMLA 2010 against the holder(s) of public office, legal persons and others regarding transaction made from the accounts of M/s Bahria Town (Pvt) Limited and Joint Accounts of Zain Malik and Mushtaq Ahmed into fake accounts and liability determined at Rs 4,955,950,000/-

During the meeting, it was informed that the Accountability Court Islamabad has accepted a plea bargain request of accused Mian Waseem alias Lucky Ali of Rs 1.95 billion. Furthermore, the Accountability Court Islamabad has convicted Matiur Rehman s/o Haji Surat Rehman in Modarba case with 12 years of imprisonment and fine of Rs 170 million whereas another accused Atiqur Rehman s/o Haji Surat Rehman has been declared proclaimed offender.

The Accountability Court Islamabad awarded 10 years sentence to Ghulam Rasool Ayubi along with a fine of Rs 3.7 billion in a corruption reference of Modarba case which was filed by the NAB Rawalpindi.

The accused Ghulam Rasool Ayubi had been found guilty and all charges against all the accused namely Ghulam Rasool Ayubi, Hussain Ahmad and M Khalid were proved as per law. During the meeting, it was informed that in another case of the NAB Rawalpindi, the Accountability Court Islamabad awarded 10 years imprisonment and Rs 9 billion fine to Mufti Ehsan-ul-Haq while his 9 other co-accused were imposed Rs 1 billion fine. That conviction was the maximum in the NAB history.

The accused Mufti Ehsan-ul-Haq, CEO of M/s Fayazi Group of Industries Modarba case along with 9 other accused were convicted after detailed perusal of solid evidence presented by the NAB Rawalpindi as per law in the Accountability Court Islamabad. The meeting was informed the NAB Rawalpindi has recovered Rs 23 billion in fake accounts cases directly and indirectly. During the meeting, the DG NAB Rawalpindi said former DG Sindh Building Control Authority Manzoor Kaka illegally allotted 506 acres of Pakistan Steel illegally, out of which the documents of 300 acres worth Rs 1 billion have been returned to the Sindh government.