NICL corruption case: Supreme Court orders arrest of main accused

The Supreme Court Tuesday ordered an inquiry against Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Waseem Ahmed, and if proved guilty put him behind the bars, as he has been blamed for favouring one of the main accused in NICL land scam.
A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry comprising Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Muhammad Sair Ali, was hearing a suo motu case on alleged violation of rules by former NICL Chairman Ayaz Khan Niazi in the procurement of land on highly enhanced rates, causing a huge financial loss to the national kitty.
Earlier, the court had issued verbal orders to immediately arrest DG FIA for creating hurdles in the probe, allegedly protecting Amin Qasim Dada, a key accused in NICL land scam. The court withdrew the directives and observed that a case be registered against the DG if the allegations were proved against him. Zafar Iqbal apprised the bench that all the accused directors of the company were in FIA custody except Amin Qasim Dada. He said when he contacted Moazzam Jah in Karachi for cooperation in arresting Dada, he replied that the accused used to sit with DG FIA Wasim Ahmed in his camp office, so how could he arrest him.
Waseem Ahmed has recently been removed from a probe body, which is investigating a large-scale corruption scandal during Hajj arrangements in 2010. The DG, who was heading the probe body, was removed when the court expressed dissatisfaction over his performance in carrying out official assignment.
Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday remarked that in India, a three-star serving general was court marshaled for corruption but it is pathetic that nobody in Pakistan was ready even to utter a single word against DG FIA, who helped a plunderer of national wealth in billions.
When the bench asked deputy director FIA Sindh Moazam Jah, why Qasim Dada has not been arrested yet, he told the court that FIA was unable to nab the culprit in a raid on his house as DG FIA Waseem Ahmed was sitting with him, for giving him safe passage for Dubai.
Justice Ramday remarked that the DG FIA did not know the rules and regulations, despite having top official slot of the country''s major investigation agency, which helped the accused to flee from the country. Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, secretary interior informed the court that Captain (Retd) Zafar Ahmed Qureshi, Managing Director, National Police Foundation has been appointed as additional director general, FIA in addition to his present assignment with immediate effect till further orders to supervise investigation of NICL case in Lahore.
The court also issued orders of handing over NICL land case to Zafar Qureshi, who expressed resolve that all the culprits would be put behind the bar. He had been posted as DG National Police Foundation some months back when he was director FIA Punjab. The notification was issued after the bench yesterday expressed its reservations over abrupt transfer of Qureshi.
To a bench query, Qureshi said that Rs 220 million was transferred from Dubai in the bank account of one Adil Manzoor at Allied Bank Lahore. He said Adil was not an accused person rather his ID was used for a fake bank account. He said Mohammad Malik also admitted that the amount was given to Moonis Elahi, son of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. He said the accused was manager of Al-Tahoor International, a company owned by Moonis Elahi.
He told the court that DG FIA asked him to leave the charge after he had recorded statement of a key accused Malik who confessed that he had given Rs 220 million to Moonis Elahi, son of former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi. The bench noted in its order that the officer failed to investigate the issue of public amount, which was misspent by Ayaz Khan Niazi, former head of NICL. However, the bench granted him one more chance to submit comprehensive report till February 1.