SAFDAR RASHEED

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Lahore, under the leadership of Director General (DG) NAB Lahore, Muhammad Ahtram Dar, convened its monthly Open Hearing at NAB Lahore Bureau, today.

A large number of affectees of various illegal housing Societies and fraudulent Ponzi schemes participated in the session and presented their grievances directly to the DG NAB.

Victims of several major housing scandals, including the Prime Zone Scandal, Al-Rehman Garden Phase 4, Khayaban-e-Amin Housing Society, and Palm Vista Housing Scheme, were present in significant numbers. Additionally, complainants related to Grand Avenue Housing, Professional Cooperative Housing, New Lahore City, Omega Housing, and Bin Alam Housing Scandals also brought forward their grievances during the hearing.

DG NAB Lahore, Muhammad Ahtram Dar, attentively listened to the concerns of all complainants and reassured them of NAB’s commitment to ensuring justice and accountability. He issued clear deadlines to the relevant investigation teams for making significant progress in all cases and emphasized the importance of delivering timely relief to the public in line with the directives of the Chairman NAB.

In his remarks, DG NAB Lahore highlighted that the Bureau is fully committed to safeguarding the rights of victims and ensuring restitution of their losses through lawful means. He reiterated that the instructions of the NAB Chairman are clear to provide immediate and effective relief to the public.

Addressing the victims of the Prime Zone Scandal, DG NAB Lahore shared that a corruption Reference has already been filed against the accused in the Accountability Court. However, actions are underway to repatriate the main accused back to Pakistan through Interpol. Five other suspects have been arrested and included in the Reference.

In the Al-Rehman Garden Phase-4 case, DG NAB directed the investigation team to resolve the registration issues of all 77 victims within two weeks deadline and submit a detailed report, accordingly.

For the Khayaban-e-Amin Housing Society case, it was revealed that plots have already been allotted to 550 out of the 700 complainants. DG NAB Lahore instructed the concerned team to resolve the remaining complaints by May 10, 2025.

Regarding the Omega Housing Society, the management was directed to refund the victims as per the NAB-approved refund policy, he said. The investigation team was also instructed to ensure strict compliance with the implementation of this policy.

The attendees expressed their satisfaction and appreciation for the initiative taken by NAB Lahore, particularly acknowledging the swift actions and timely intervention by DG NAB Lahore. They voiced optimism that their issues will be resolved efficiently in the coming weeks.