NAB BoD approves investigation against sugar barrons, 6 ex ministers, officials

Islamabad:- June 23, 2021: The Executive Board Meeting (EBM) of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was held on Wednesday here.

Justice Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB presided over the meeting.
Deputy Chairman, Hussain Asghar, Prosecutor General Accountability Syed Hussain Asghar, Director General Operations, Zahir Shah and other senior officers of NAB attended the meeting.

In an official handout issued by director on Wednesday said NAB is a peoples friendly apex anti corruption organisation. It is years long set policy of NAB to share the details of the EBM-NAB , which did not mean to hurt the feeling of anyone. It added the inquiries and investigations are initiated on the basis of alleged allegations which are not final.

The decision to proceed ahead with the cases is taken after listening the point of view of both sides, it concluded.

The Executive Board Meeting (EBM) authorised conducting corruption reference against Muhammad Ramazan Sehato and others on the accusation of 95 alleged illegal recruitments in Education and Literacy Department Naushero Feroze Sindh by abusing the authority, which caused Rs 160 million losses to the national exchequer.

TEBM authorised conducting 16 inquiries against various persons including Ghulam Martaza Jatoi, former Federal Minister and others. Officers/officials of Sports, Works Department and others;

Haji Khan Umrani, Abdul Jabbar Yousafzai and others, Khuda Bakhsh Nizamani, former member National Assembly, Khuda Bakhsh Rajar, former federal minister and others, officers/officials of Board of Revenue, Malir, Karachi and others, to grant subsidy to 19 Sugar Mills (Mirpur Khas,Thatta, Khairpur, Sajawal and others),

Peetam Dam, Superintendent Engeener, officers/officials and others, Bagharari Gaesh Circle, Kotri Barrage, Hyderabad Region; officers/officials of Department of Law, government of Sindh, Sohail Mansoor, Rehan Mansoor Khawaja, (alleged frontman of Babar Ghori former federal minister) and others, Hassan Ali Sharif, private person ( alleged frontman of Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Waheed Sheikh, Deputy Director Excise and Taxation Department, Sindh) and others;

Sadia Fatima Sikandar, Usman Sikandar, Iram Fatima Sikandar, Khalilur Rehman and others ,officers/officials of Revenue Department, Gothabad Scheme, Malir, Karachi; Management of Larkana Model Town Housing Scheme and Gulshan Mustafa Scheme and others; officers/officials of Mineral Department and Revenue department Sindh and others; consultans AA Associates; Messarrs Sardar Ashraf D Baloch, Contractor, Yousaf Ali , former member of construction company; Mukesh Kumar, General Manager Sindh South, NHA ,Sukkur and the forum authorized conducting inquiries against Ayaz Memon, former Project Director , Riaz Ahmed Sehato, Project Director Finance Section, NHA.

EBM of NAB also authorized conducting two investigations against various personalities including Nisar Ahmed Khoro, former Provincial Minister for Food, Sindh; officers/officials of Sindh Food Deoartment; and others; while investigations were also okayed against Syed Muzammil Shah, Executive Engineer, Provincial Highway Division, Sukkur and others.

EBM also authorized transferring the inquiries against Munir Ahmed, Naeem Khan, Sanam and Sindh Development Organisation and others to Interior Ministry and National Insurance Company, Limited and against others to FIA for further proceedings.

EBM authorized closing the ongoing inquiries against Abdul Jabbar Shahani, Assistant Commissioner, Revenue, Site, Karachi and others owing to absence of evidence.

The forum also authorized closing investigations against Abul Karkim Soomro, MPA, Sindh and others; officers and officials of Civil Aviation Authority; JS Bank and others, owners of Abdullah Shah Ghazi Sugar Mills and directors due to non availability of any evidence.

Speaking on the occasion NAB Chairman Justice Javed Iqbal said the bureau is striving hard to take the mega corruption cases specially sugar, Flour, money laundering, fake accounts, abuse of authority, assets beyond means, illegal housing societies and Modarba scam to logical conclusion.
The anti graft watchdog has recovered record Rs 323 billion directly and indirectly during the year 2020.

NAB acknowledges the services of business community for the progress and prosperity. Chairman in his meeting with business community held at Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and NAB headquarters and took immediate steps for resolution of their issues.

NAB Chairman has sent business community’s under invoicing regarding income tax, sales tax cases to FBR (Federal Board of Revenue) for further action.

A special desk has been set up at NAB Headquarters under the supervision of a director for resolving the issues of business community. Business community representatives has thanked Chairman NAB upon sincere and practice efforts in addressing their problems.

Some 1,273 cases are currently under trial in various learned accountability courts. Of which the volume of corruption is Rs 1,300 billion. The learned Accountability court approves the plea bargain in which accused confesses his guilt and pledged to return the looted amount.

Since inception NAB has recovered record Rs. 814 billion from corrupt elements (directly or indirectly). The performance of NAB has been lauded by reputed national and international institutions including Transparency International Pakistan, Word Economic Forum, Global Peace, Canada, Mishal Pakistan and PILDAT which is an honour for the bureau.

NAB is making sincere efforts for the recovery of the hard earned money looted by illegal housing societies/cooperative housing societies and Modarba scams. NAB has already returned billion of rupee looted amount to the effectees of illegal housing societies. The effectees had already lauded the efforts of NAB.