Fake accounts case: NAB to file references against ex-PIA chief, Abdul Ghani, others

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau’s Executive Board Tuesday approved filing corruption references in the mega fake bank accounts scam against former Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chairman Ejaz Haroon, Abdul Ghani Majeed of Omni Group and others for their alleged involvement in illegal allotment of plots in Overseas Cooperative Housing Society Limited (Kidney Hills), Karachi, and payment for the plots through fake bank accounts which inflicted heavy losses on the national exchequer.

Rejecting allegations against the NAB, the Executive Board also announced initiating a probe into what it called baseless, misleading, concocted and fabricated propaganda against it to tarnish its image as an institution under Clause 31 (a) of the NAB Ordinance. The meeting was presided over by NAB Chairman Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal and attended by Prosecutor General Accountability Syed Asghar Haider, Director General Operations Zahir Shah, NAB Rawalpindi DG Irfan Naeem Mangi and other senior officers.

After the meeting, the NAB said that it believed in respecting the sanctity and respect of the parliament and parliamentarians. “The business community plays an important role in the progress and prosperity of the country and the NAB strongly denies the impression that the community is perturbed by its action. The NAB believes in performing its duties in accordance with law. The business community and all other segments of Pakistan also desire the transformation of the country into a prosperous, corruption-free and developed state,” it added.

The NAB vehemently rejected the impression created by of some elements about the death of an accused person in its custody, adding that baseless and misleading allegations could not stop it from performing its legal and constitutional obligations to eradicate corruption from the country. The NAB Executive Board also okayed an inquiry into officers of Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation, referring a complaint about negligence in the performance of official duty by officials of Customs deployed at Sost Dry Port to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for further proceedings as per law.

Addressing the meeting, NAB Chairman Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal said the institution believed in ensuring corruption-free Pakistan as eradication of corruption from the country was its top priority. Since inception, he said, the NAB has recovered Rs714 billion from corrupt elements and deposited it into the national exchequer. “The NAB performance has been appreciated by reputed national and international institutions which is an honour to it,” he said, adding that the NAB was a national anti-corruption institution having no affiliation with an individual, group and political party as it had only affiliation with the state of Pakistan. He directed prosecutors and investigation officers to pursue corruption cases in accountability courts with complete preparations.