RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), on Wednesday, authorised filing of a corruption reference and decided to initiate corruption inquires against various personalities including Abdul Ghafoor Lehri, former Minister for Industries and Commerce Department, Balochistan.

An official said that the decision to this effect was taken in the NAB Executive Board Meeting (EBM) presided over by NAB chairman former Justice Javed Iqbal.

He said that the meeting approved filing of corruption reference against Munir Ahmed, project director, Pasni Fish Harbour Authority and others on the charges of misuse of authority and misappropriation of government funds causing Rs412.18 million in losses to the national exchequer.

He said that the bureau also authorised conducting five inquiries against various people including Ghafoor Lehri, former Minister of Industries and Commerce Department, Balochistan and others, officials and officers of the National Highways Authority (NHA) Khuzdar, officers, officials of Quetta Development Authority (QDA), officers and officials of Federal Land Commission, Land Department, Tehsil Haroonabad, District Bahawalpur and others, officers and officials of Wapda Water Wing, Islamabad, and inquiry against Kacchi Canal project.

The official said that meeting also decided to start another 11 inquiries against various suspects including against former Punjab chief minister, MNA, former commissioner Bahawalpur Division and others, officials and officers of Quetta Development Authority and others, Sikandar Imrani, former District Nazim, Nasirabad and others, Ali Ahmed Mengal former secretary C and W Department, Quetta others, officials of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and others, officials and officers of Balochistan Revenue Department and others, management of Balochistan Development Authority, Aosta Muhammad, Jaffarabad District and others, Management of Forest Department, Jhal Magsi, Jaffarabad District, Qaiser Shabbir, Faisal Shabbir, Directors Messrs Shuja Abad Oil Mills, Messrs Shabbir Feed Mills and Shuja Abad Weaving Mills and others, Vice Chancellor Khawaja Farid University, Rahim Yar Khan and others, and inquiry against administrator, Commissioner, Metropolitan Corporation, Multan and others.

He said that the EBM accorded approval of transferring ongoing inquiries against Dawood Khilji, former deputy commissioner Quetta and others, Nawab Muhammad Khan Shahwani, Minister Services and General Administration, Department Balochistan to Anti-Corruption, Balochistan for further proceedings as per law.

The EBM authorised closing inquiries against Makhdoom Zada Syed Basit Ahmed Sultan, Member National Assembly from Muzaffargarh and others, directors, CEOs and others of Messrs Fatima Group of Companies due to absence of proof as per law.

During the meeting, the NAB chairman said that taking mega corruption cases especially sugar, money laundering, fake accounts, abuse of authority, assets beyond known sources of income, illegal housing societies, modarba to logical conclusion is priority of the bureau.