NAB to initiate probe against housing ministry officials

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday decided to start an investigation against Senior Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Works Maula Bukhsh Awan and other officials for alleged misuse of authority in recruitment of 746 persons in Pak PWD on daily wages and work-charge basis. 

Members of NAB’s executive board authorised the investigation in a meeting presided over by the bureau’s chairman Admiral Fasih Bokhari (retd) in a case against Maula Bukhsh Awan and Gulab Zamir, the former DG of Pak PWD along with others, a NAB official said.

He said that the accused allegedly made these appointments during the period when the government had imposed a ban on new recruitment in 2011.  The official said that NAB also decided to authorise a Complaint Verification (CV) against Pakistan State Oil (PSO) officials accused of illegally awarding a contract for the supply of base oil to a bidder called Simpexco, causing a loss of Rs258 million to the national exchequer. He said that NAB’s executive board also approved Voluntary Return (VR) of Rs27.27 million in the Canal Motors’ case to Rana Qaiser Nazir, Mohsin Abbasi, Hafiz Usman Yousaf, Amina Qaisar and others. Owners of Canal Motors collected a huge amount from 200 people on pretext of importing vehicles. The accused defrauded people of their hard-earned money amounting to nearly Rs1 billion, using investment as a ruse.

The official said that NAB already arrested accused, including Rana Qaisar Nazir Ahmed and Mohsin Abbasi, who are in judicial custody.  The bureau’s board also decided to launch an inquiry against Dr Zafar Altaf, former Chairman of Idara-e-Kissan’s (IK) Executive Committee, Syed Amiruddin Bukhari, the CEO and others, allowing Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Punjab, to proceed.

He said that NAB also decided to close an inquiry against Samir Shakir Mehmood, the MD of Samir Designs Ltd. and others. The accused were alleged to be involved in embezzling millions of rupees in the name of renovation work being carried out at Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s (RA) Mazar.  The Board decided to close the inquiry at NAB’s end and decided to refer the case to the Auqaf Department for the recovery of the funds.