‘Tractor Subsidy Scheme’: NAB warns Sindh ACE against parallel probe

KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has taken a notice of the Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment’s (ACE) probe into the misappropriation of Rs 800 million in the Sindh Tractor Subsidy Scheme, already under the investigation of NAB.

NAB sources told The News that the Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has also initiated a probe into the Sindh Tractor Subsidy Scheme (Phase III) from 2013 to 2016, ignoring all rules, laws and NAB ordinance, only to sabotage the NAB’s investigation. The case was initially taken up by the NAB Karachi but when the matter of the ‘fake accounts case’ was transferred to the NAB Rawalpindi on the directions of the apex court, the issue of the ‘Tractor Subsidy Scheme’ was also transferred to the NAB Pindi. According to the official documentary evidence, copies of which are exclusively available with The News, the NAB Rawalpindi has written to Chairman Sindh Enquiries and Anti-Corruption Establishment Iqbal Memon, seeking details of the investigation initiated by his department. The NAB Rawalpindi also made it clear to the chairman Sindh Anti-Corruption by quoting Section 18 (d) of the NAB Ordinance that if any matter is investigated by NAB, no other agency can investigate it.